XIANG Long¹, LIU Pinghui^1,2, ZHANG Shumei¹

(1.College of Earth Sciences, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, 330013, China；
2.Key Laboratory of Nuclear Resources and Environment, Ministry of Education, East China University of Technology, Nanchang, 330013, China; )

Abstract：We took a uranium deposit area in the east of China as the research object to discuss the radionuclide uranium contentsin 114 surface water samples from uranium deposit area and control area with X-Series ICP-MS. Radionuclide uranium contamination levels of surface water samples were assessed by using the method of single factor index to identify the uranium contamination in uranium deposit area. Results show that (1) the average uranium concentrations(39.89μg/L) in surface water are 32.17, 64.34 and 199.45 times as the average uranium concentrations of unexploited deposit area, the surface water uranium element background values of Jiangxi Province, China and the control area, respectively. The average uranium concentrations show the order of hydrometallurgy plant area>mine area>abandoned mine area>tailings dam area. The whole study area, including abandoned mine area, mine area and hydrometallurgy plant area, has been influenced strongly;and (2) the results of single factor index show that the uranium contamination levels of sub areas in surface water are in the order of hydrometallurgy plant area> mine area>abandoned mine area> tailings dam area. The surface water samples from all above areas are heavily uranium contaminated but surfact water samples from control area are not contaminated. Combined with the characteristics of uranium concentration, uranium mining, transportation, smelting and other actual situations in uranium deposit area, the improvements on ore transport conditions and waste water treatment should be carried out to prevent uranium contamination in surface water.

Key words: uranium deposit area; surface water; uranium concentration; radionuclide contamination; Eastern China

EARTH AND ENVIRONMENT Vol.44, No.4 Tot No.312, 2016, Page 455-461