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Determination of natural radionuclides and heavy metal concentrations in the groundwater and adjacent areas of the Kattakurgan reservoir, Uzbekistan

  • Ulugbek Tukhtaev , Shakhboz Khasanov ORCID logo EMAIL logo , Jaloliddin Fayzullayev , Akmal Safarov , Bayramali Togaev and Seyedkarim Afsharipour
Published/Copyright: January 12, 2024
Radiochimica Acta
From the journal Radiochimica Acta Volume 112 Issue 2

Abstract

We conducted a comprehensive assessment of the Kattakurgan reservoir, alongside adjacent wells and boreholes, to measure the concentrations of natural radionuclides, heavy metals, and associated radiological hazards. Using NaI(Tl) crystal scintillation gamma spectrometers, we determined radionuclide levels in water and sediment. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was employed for heavy metal analysis. Our results showed radionuclide concentrations in reservoir water for 226Ra (0.8 Bq/L), 232Th (0.4 Bq/L), and 40K (0.4 Bq/L) were within the limits set by the World Health Organization (WHO). In contrast, deep well water samples showed elevated 226Ra concentrations (1.5 Bq/L). Sediment samples’ radionuclide levels were in line with UNSCEAR guidelines. Barium was the most notable heavy metal, with a concentration of 68.08 μg/L. While most radiation hazard indices remained within safety limits, the gamma index recorded a value of 1.057 Bq/kg. Our research provides valuable data for water quality assessment. The methods described can be applied to other reservoir studies. Regular monitoring is recommended for continuous safety evaluation, and further studies on biotic samples are suggested to enhance understanding of the reservoir’s ecosystem health.

Keywords: hazard incides; reservoir; natural radionuclides; gamma spectrometry; heavy metals; bottom deposits
Corresponding author: Shakhboz Khasanov, Samarkand State University, Samarkand 140104, Uzbekistan; Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China; and University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China, E-mail:
Ulugbek Tukhtaev and Shakhboz Khasanov contributed equally to this work.

Acknowledgments

The authors extend their gratitude to the scientific staff and directors of the Laboratory for Inorganic and Organic Chemistry at the Technical University of Darmstadt for their assistance in determining the heavy metal concentrations in the water samples using ICP-MS mass spectrometers.

  1. Research ethics: Not applicable.

  2. Author contributions: The authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this manuscript and approved its submission.

  3. Competing interests: The authors state no conflict of interest.

  4. Research funding: None declared.

  5. Data availability: Not applicable.

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Received: 2023-11-17
Accepted: 2024-01-02
Published Online: 2024-01-12
Published in Print: 2024-02-26

© 2024 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Original Papers
  3. Morphology of uranium oxides reduced from magnesium and sodium diuranate
  4. HR GRS-HPGe as NDT method for quantification of uranium and 235U content in process stream samples from UO2 fuel production facilities
  5. Recycling waste polymer packaging materials as effective active carbon porous materials for uranium removal from commercial phosphoric acid
  6. Overcoming the obstacle of excess acetonitrile content in the final fluorine-18 radiotracers
  7. Radioactivity of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in soil in Northwest part of Turkey: assessment of radiological impacts
  8. Determination of natural radionuclides and heavy metal concentrations in the groundwater and adjacent areas of the Kattakurgan reservoir, Uzbekistan
  9. Obituary
  10. Obituary: Jae-Il Kim (1936–2023)
https://doi.org/10.1515/ract-2023-0254
Keywords for this article
hazard incides; reservoir; natural radionuclides; gamma spectrometry; heavy metals; bottom deposits

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Frontmatter
  2. Original Papers
  3. Morphology of uranium oxides reduced from magnesium and sodium diuranate
  4. HR GRS-HPGe as NDT method for quantification of uranium and 235U content in process stream samples from UO2 fuel production facilities
  5. Recycling waste polymer packaging materials as effective active carbon porous materials for uranium removal from commercial phosphoric acid
  6. Overcoming the obstacle of excess acetonitrile content in the final fluorine-18 radiotracers
  7. Radioactivity of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in soil in Northwest part of Turkey: assessment of radiological impacts
  8. Determination of natural radionuclides and heavy metal concentrations in the groundwater and adjacent areas of the Kattakurgan reservoir, Uzbekistan
  9. Obituary
  10. Obituary: Jae-Il Kim (1936–2023)
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