Stream sediments as a repository of U, Th and As around abandoned uranium mines in central Portugal: implications for water quality management

Carvalho, P. C. S.; Antunes, I.M.H.R.; Albuquerque, Teresa; Santos, Antonio Colmenar; Cunha, Pedro P.

doi:10.1007/s12665-022-10275-2

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 81 publications

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“…Uranium, which is radioactive and chemically toxic, is one of the most critical pollutants from uranium mining. It is also accompanied by heavy metal pollution, such as Cd, Cu, Pb, Mn and Zn, which are often reflected in the soil, sediment and water medium [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]. Heavy metal pollution around uranium mines has become a hot spot of concern because heavy metals are difficult to degrade, accumulate and easily migrate to the human body through skin, breath and diet [ 9 , 10 , 11 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study on the Ecotoxic Effects of Uranium and Heavy Metal Elements in Soils of a Uranium Mining Area in Northern Guangdong

Zhang

Tang

Liu³

et al. 2023

Toxics

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To investigate the heavy metal contamination of soil in a uranium mining area in northern Guangdong, a physicochemical evaluation method was used to evaluate the contaminated soil near the pit and tailings pond of the uranium mining area, determine its heavy metal content and evaluate its ecological risk using the Nemerow integrated contamination index, ground accumulation index and potential ecological risk index. The results show that the average content of nine heavy metal elements in the soil of the uranium mining area exceeds the background value of red soil in Guangdong Province. Three pollution evaluation indices all indicate that Cd, As and U have serious pollution and high ecological risk, while the remaining elements are weakly polluted and the potential ecological risk of the six sampling sites all show very strong risk. On this basis, soil ecotoxicity was evaluated using ostracods (Cypridopsis vidua and Heterocypris sp.), Vibrio fischeri and Vicia faba L. Higher concentrations of heavy metals at individual sites (T1, T2, P2) resulted in higher mortality of ostracods, higher inhibition of Vibrio fischeri luminescence and a significant reduction in germination and pigmentation of broad beans. The results of the biotoxicity evaluation were consistent with the results of the physicochemical evaluation, allowing for a more direct and comprehensive evaluation of the ecotoxic effects of uranium and heavy metals in the mine soils.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Study on the Ecotoxic Effects of Uranium and Heavy Metal Elements in Soils of a Uranium Mining Area in Northern Guangdong

Zhang

Tang

Liu³

et al. 2023

Toxics

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Stream sediment pollution: a compositional baseline assessment

Albuquerque,

Fonseca,

Araújo

et al. 2024

Euro-Mediterr J Environ Integr

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A high concentration of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) can affect ecosystem health in many ways. It is therefore essential that spatial trends in pollutants are assessed and monitored. Two questions must be addressed when quantifying pollution: how to define a non-polluted sample and how to reduce the problem’s dimensionality. A geochemical dataset is a composition of variables (chemical elements), where the components represent the relative importance of each part of the whole. Therefore, to comply with the compositional constraints, a compositional approach was used. A novel compositional pollution indicator (CPI) based on compositional data (CoDa) principles such as the properties of sparsity and simplicity was computed. A dataset of 12 chemical elements in 33 stream-sediment samples were collected from depths of 0–10 cm in a grid of 1 km × 1 km and analyzed. Maximum concentrations of 3.8% Pb, 750 µg g−1 As, and 340 µg g–1 Hg were obtained near the mine tailings. The methodological approach involved geological background selection in terms of a trimmed subsample that could be assumed to contain only non-pollutants (Al and Fe) and the selection of a list of pollutants (As, Zn, Pb, and Hg) based on expert knowledge criteria and previous studies. Finally, a stochastic sequential Gaussian simulation of the new CPI was performed. The results of the hundred simulations performed were summarized through the mean image map and maps of the probability of exceeding a given statistical threshold, allowing the characterization of the spatial distribution and the associated variability of the CPI. A high risk of contamination along the Grândola River was observed. As the main economic activities in this area are agricultural and involve animal stocks, it is crucial to establish two lines of intervention: the installation of a surveillance network for continuous control in all areas and the definition of mitigation actions for the northern area with high levels of contamination. Graphical Abstract

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Using a 3D heat map to explore the diverse correlations among elements and mineral species

Zhang,

Que,

Madhikarmi

et al. 2024

Applied Computing and Geosciences

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Stream sediments as a repository of U, Th and As around abandoned uranium mines in central Portugal: implications for water quality management

Cited by 5 publications

References 81 publications

Study on the Ecotoxic Effects of Uranium and Heavy Metal Elements in Soils of a Uranium Mining Area in Northern Guangdong

Study on the Ecotoxic Effects of Uranium and Heavy Metal Elements in Soils of a Uranium Mining Area in Northern Guangdong

Stream sediment pollution: a compositional baseline assessment

Using a 3D heat map to explore the diverse correlations among elements and mineral species

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