Transfer Rates of 238U and 232Th for E. globulus, A. mearnsii, H. filipendula and Hazardous Effects of the Usage of Medicinal Plants From Around Gold Mine Dump Environs

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Victor M. Tshivhase²  Raymond L. Njinga¹  Manny Mathuthu²  Thulani C. Dlamini² 

[1] Centre for Applied Radiation Science and Technology, North West University, Mafikeng 2735, South Africa

关键词: transfer factor;    uranium;    thorium;    tailings storage site;    contaminated soil;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph121215021

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Medicinal plant consumption can be a source of human exposure to radioactive elements such as ²³⁸U and ²³²Th, which can lead to internal radiation doses. The uptake of ²³⁸U and ²³²Th from soils to the leaf samples of three different medicinal plant species (Eucalyptus globulus, Acacia mearnsii and Hyparrhenia filipendula) from the purlieu of the Princess gold mine dump, an abandoned contaminated tailings storage site (TSS), located at longitude 27°55′00″E and latitude 26°09′30″S in Davidsonville (Roodepoort, west of Johannesburg, South Africa) was measured. This was done using ICP-MS spectrometry and substantial differences were observed in the soil-plant transfer factor (TF) values between these radionuclides. The plant species E. globulus exhibited the highest uptake of ²³⁸U, with an average TF of 3.97, while that of H. filipendula was 0.01 and the lowest TF of 0.15 × 10⁻² was measured for A. mearnsii. However, in the case of ²³²Th, the highest average TF was observed for A. mearnsii (0.29), followed by E. globulus (0.10) and lowest was measured for H. filipendula (0.27 × 10⁻²). The ratio of TF average value i.e., ²³⁸U to ²³²Th in the soil-plant leaves was 38.05 for E. globulus, 0.01 for A. mearnsii and 4.38 for H. filipendula.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.