Radioactivity contents in dicalcium phosphate and the potential radiological risk to human populations

Casacuberta, Núria; Masqué, Pere; García-Orellana, Jordi; Bruach, J.M.; Anguita, Montserrat; Gasa, J.; Villa, Maria Pia; Hurtado, Santiago; Garcı́a-Tenorio, R.

doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2009.05.037

Cited by 41 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 30 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…These gamma emitters come from the 238 U decay chain. 238 U, together with 226 Ra, are the most abundant radionuclides accumulated in the Flix reservoir (Casacuberta et al, 2009). Our results are similar to those published by Bonotto and Bueno (2008).…”

Section: Impact Of Industries In the Accumulation Of Radionuclidessupporting

confidence: 91%

“…We can assess that due to previous activities of the DCP located in Flix, a mass of 350 000 metric tons of residues is present in the water reservoir of Flix (Casacuberta et al, 2009). This waste is rich in heavy metals, radionuclides and organochlorine compounds, and the river course fluctuations during the year can produce a remobilisation of sediments accumulated in the Flix reservoir.…”

Section: Impact Of Industries In the Accumulation Of Radionuclidesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This industry is responsible for the accumulation of sediments in the Flix reservoir (Ebro River) which derive from industrial waste dumped during the last decades until 1986. In recent years, these sediments have been characterised and they contain high concentrations of organic compounds, metals and natural radionuclides of the uranium decay series (Casacuberta et al, 2009).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Impact of industries in the accumulation of radionuclides in the lower part of Ebro river (Catalonia, Spain)

et al. 2010

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ebro River extends over almost 930 km and is the main Spanish river entering theMediterranean Sea. There are several industries located along this river course including a dicalcium phosphate factory (DCP) and two nuclear power reactors. These installations, together with other factors such as the geology, can contribute to the radiological content of the river. Therefore, this study was performed to determine some natural and also some anthropogenic radionuclide concentrations in the Ebro River ecosystem. We analysed water samples, solid samples (rice field sludge and surface marine sediment samples), and also biota samples (Cladophora glomerata and Cynodon dactylon). For water samples, gross alpha, gross beta, tritium, uranium, thorium and also a group of gamma-emitting isotopes' activities were determined. The main contribution to radioactivity for these samples was due to some isotopes from the uranium and thorium chain. For the solid samples, we quantified some natural and artificial gamma radioisotopes, which may be related to the geological and/or industrial activities located in this zone. In the case of biota, the results indicate that the presence of the DCP has a significant influence, since the highest activity was observed in the surroundings of this industry (

show abstract

Section: Impact Of Industries In the Accumulation Of Radionuclidessupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Impact Of Industries In the Accumulation Of Radionuclidesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Impact of industries in the accumulation of radionuclides in the lower part of Ebro river (Catalonia, Spain)

et al. 2010

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Their purpose is to maintain the amounts of calcium and phosphorus to the desired mass fraction ratio (e.g., 1.2:1 for adult dog food). However, material originating from phosphate rock may also contain relatively high amounts of uranium (Casacuberta et al 2009). In DCPs commercialized at Catalonia, Spain, and used for animal feed, uranium ranged from 80 mg/kg to 250 mg/kg (n = 12), while TCP (tricalcium phosphate), intended for human consumption, showed values from 0.2 mg/kg to 2.0 mg/kg (n = 4) (Casacuberta et al 2009).…”

Section: Antimonymentioning

confidence: 99%

Trace element measurement for assessment of dog food safety

Fernandes

Elias

Bacchi

et al. 2017

Environ Sci Pollut Res

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The DCP's production process using Moroccan phosphate rock started in 1973 and continued for about 25 years and, as a consequence of the activity of this facility, the Flix reservoir contains a large amount of contaminated sludge. Among the various contaminants, different studies in the literature have demonstrated the presence of several natural radionuclides such as 238 U, 226 Ra and 210 Pb in samples from the DCP factory and the sludge accumulated in the riverbed (Casacuberta et al, 2009(Casacuberta et al, , 2011Mola et al, 2011). Mola et al (2011) analysed different sludge samples taken in front of the francesc.borrull@urv.cat DCP factory from different depths and they found a maximum concentration of 5,847 Bq.kg −1 and 2,499 Bq.kg −1 for 226 Ra and 210 Pb, respectively.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study of the radiological impact caused by the extraction of the residue of a dicalcium phosphate industrial plant

Nieto

Ruana²,

Pujol³

et al. 2015

Radioprotection

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

-In recent years, a decontamination project has been under way to remove the polluted sludge on the riverbed of the Ebro river, particularly in the area of Flix (Tarragona, Spain). This project started in 2011 and consists of the removal of the sludge and its treatment in a process that will eventually restore the river to its natural conditions. The sludge is a product of the historical dumping of contaminants by a chemical complex situated next to the river, and it contains a range of contaminants, such as heavy metals, semi-and volatile organic compounds, and radionuclides. Downstream of the complex, in the town of L'Ampolla, a drinking water treatment plant (DWTP) is located. This plant collects the water from the Ebro river and, after potabilisation, the plant supplies drinking water to the population of southern Catalonia. Due to the possible presence of radionuclides in the river water, it was considered important to monitor and control the radioactivity parameters regulated under current legislation for water consumption. For this reason, in this study, our aim is to evaluate if the decontamination work carried out in Flix has any effects on the radioactivity levels of both Ebro river and treated water, by means of the determination of gross alpha activity, gross beta activity and a group of gamma emitter radionuclides at three different sampling points in the period between 2008 and 2012. One sampling point was located a few kilometres from the Flix area and the other two were located before and after the DWTP, respectively. From the results obtained, it could be observed that no significant differences were obtained between the samples taken before and after the beginning of the decontamination process began, so it is important to highlight that this project has not affected the quality of the water supplied by the DWTP.

show abstract

Radioactivity contents in dicalcium phosphate and the potential radiological risk to human populations

Cited by 41 publications

References 30 publications

Impact of industries in the accumulation of radionuclides in the lower part of Ebro river (Catalonia, Spain)

Impact of industries in the accumulation of radionuclides in the lower part of Ebro river (Catalonia, Spain)

Trace element measurement for assessment of dog food safety

Study of the radiological impact caused by the extraction of the residue of a dicalcium phosphate industrial plant

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About