TITLE:
Analysis of Radium Isotopes in Surface Waters nearby a Phosphate Mining with NORM at Santa Quitéria, Brazil
AUTHORS:
Wagner de S. Pereira, Alphonse Kelecom, Juliana R. de S. Pereira
KEYWORDS:
Radioecology; Environmental Radioprotection; NORM Mining; Radium Isotopes; PCA
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Environmental Protection,
Vol.5 No.3,
February
28,
2014
ABSTRACT: The radium isotopes 226Ra and 228Ra
were analyzed in surface water at six points in the neighborhood of a mine of
phosphate, associated with uranium, in the region of Santa Quitéria, state of
Ceará, Brazil. Water samples were collected during twenty months, filtered and
the concentrations of activity determined in the soluble and particulate
phases. The results were analyzed using the Principal Component Analysis (PCA)
for ordination of environmental data, and also by ANOVA, Tukey and Z tests to
compare sets of data considering the radionuclides, the two analyzed phases and
the six collecting points. The PCA identified four groups that included all
collecting points, using aggregation features such as radionuclide and analyzed
phase. The first group is composed by the samples of 226Ra in the
soluble phase; the second group by samples of 226Ra in the
particulate phase; the third one by 228Ra in the soluble phase, and
finally, the fourth group by 228Ra in the particulate phase. This last group has two discrepant points (01 and
06). Statistical analysis identified differences between the concentrations of
activity of radionuclides (228Ra higher than 226Ra) and
in analyzed phases (soluble phase higher than the particulate one) but showed
no differences between sampled points.