Spatial mobility of U and Th in a U-enriched area (Central Portugal)

article

Antunes, I.M.H.R.
Santos, António
Valente, Teresa
Albuquerque, M.T.D.

ANTUNES, M. [et al.] (2020) - Spatial mobility of U and Th in a U-enriched area (Central Portugal). Applied Sciences. ISSN 2076-3417. Vol. 10, nº 21 p. 7866. DOI: 10.3390/app10217866

2076-3417

10.3390/app10217866

Spatial mobility of U and Th in a U-enriched area (Central Portugal)

Uranium mines
Dumps
Stream sediments
Soils
Portugal

info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/SFRH/SFRH%2FBPD%2F64921%2F2009/PT
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/9471 - RIDTI/PTDC%2FCTA-AMB%2F29259%2F2017/PT
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/UIDP%2F04683%2F2020/PT
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/UIDP%2F04683%2F2020/PT

2020-11-23T14:19:08Z
2020-11-23T14:19:08Z
2020-11

Uranium and thorium are toxic in different environments. The exploitation of uranium mines and associated mine drainage leaching towards streams, sediments, and soils cause relevant pollution. The U-mine areas present high concentrations of potentially toxic elements with several consequences to ecosystems and human health. Physicochemical and potentially toxic elements of mine dumps, stream sediments, and soils from the Canto Lagar uranium mine area (Central Portugal) were analyzed. Stream sediments, soils, and mine dumps show a large range in the concentration values of Fe, U, As, Cu, Zn, Pb, and Th, suggesting geological and mine contributions. Most of the selected potential toxic elements from sediments present a low to moderate contamination degree, except for As, W, and U, which vary between high and very high contamination index. The soils must not be used in agricultural or residential activities due to contamination in As and U. This abandoned mine represents an environmental risk due to the spatial mobility and dispersion of potentially toxic elements from the dumps to the sediments and soils, as well as by surface runoff and wind.
PTDC/CTA-AMB/29259/2017
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

openAccess
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

eng