Uranium in Surface Waters

it should be emphasized again that collection of water samples must be carefully controlled and executed (Rathore 2013). The samples should be free of suspended matter and sediments and filtered before collection and preservation. In addition. 

The uranium content and the ratio in several surface water sources 

The uranium content in surface waters in a lake in Turkey was determined by ICPMS (Zorer and Sahan 2011). The water samples were simply acidified (0.1 M HNO3), diluted by a factor of 100 and measured without any chemical pretreatment. The concentration of uranium in 18 samples ranged from 82 to 113 pg L, so the concentration in the diluted samples was about 1 pg L in all cases. Isotopic composition measurements were not reported in this study. 

An electroanalytical method based on adsorptive stripping voltanunetry that is claimed to be faster and cheaper was developed for the determination of uranium in river water samples and a seawater standard (Grabarczyk and Koper 2011). A hanging mercury drop electrode was used and accumulation was executed by pulsing the potential. Recovery of uranium spikes from river water samples was close to 100% with an RSD of about 5% at 1, 5, and 10 mnol L (238,1190, and 2380 ng L, respectively). 

The uranium activity ratio in water and fish samples from pit lakes in Kazakhstan and Tajikistan was determined by ICPMS, alpha spectrometry, and radiochemical neutron activation analysis (RNAA) (Stromman et al. 2013). The samples were collected from lakes that were formed in open pits in abandoned uranium mines. Fish in those lakes are occasionally consumed by the local population and domestic animals drink water from those lakes that contain high uranium levels (1 and 3 mg L ). The activity ratio was found to increase from about 1 to 1.5 a few kilome- 

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In 1994, Dadfarnia and McLeod described the analysis of uranium in surface waters and sea water using a simple FI system with an alumina column for preconcentration.77 Species eluted from this column were delivered to an ICP-MS as the detector. Also in 1994, Hollenbach et al. described the automation of extraction chromatographic methods based on TRU-Resin and TEVA-Resin to separate and preconcentrate U, Th, and Tc from soil samples, using ICP-MS for detection.49125 In 1996, Aldstadt et al. described the use of FI and extraction chromatography using TRU-Resin to determine U in environmental samples by ICP-MS.78... 

In addition to the migration of dissolved or suspended uranium due to the movement of water in the environment, the transport and dispersion of uranium in surface water and groundwater are affected by adsorption and desorption of the uranium on surface water sediments. On the other hand, migration of uranium in soil and subsoil and uptake in vegetation are usually quite local involving distances from several centimeters to several meters. 

Efurd, D. W., Rokop, D. J., Aguilar, R. D., Roensch, F. R., Banar, J. C., and Perrin, R. E. 1995. Identification and quantification of the source terms for uranium in surface waters collected at the rocky-flats facility. Int J Mass Spectrom Ion Processes 146, 109-117. 

Ridgley J. L. and Wenrich-Verbeek K. J. Scatter diagrams and correlations of uranium in surface water versus discharge, eondue-tivity, and pH at various locations throughout the United States. Open-File Rep. U.S. geol. Surv. 79-581, 1978, 331 p. 

Kharkar DP, Thomson J, Turekian KK, Forster WO (1976) Uranium and thorium series nuclides in plankton from the Caribbean. Limnol Oceanogr 21 294-299 Krishnaswami S, Lai D, Somayajulu BLK, Weiss R, Craig H (1976) Large-volume in situ filtration of deep Pacific waters mineralogical and radioisotope studies. Earth Planet Sci Lett 32 420-429 Livingston HD, Cochran JK (1987) Determination of transuranic and thorium isotopes in ocean water in solution and in filterable particles. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 115 299-308 Masque P, Sanchez-Cabeza JA, Braach JM, Palacios E, Canals M (2002) Balance and residence times of °Pb and 4 o in surface waters of the northwestern Mediterranean Sea. Cont Shelf Res 22 2127-2146 Matsumoto E (1975) Th-234-U-238 radioactive disequilibrium in the surface layer of the oceans. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 39 205-212... 

Krishnaswami S, Sarin MM, Somayajulu BLK (1981) Chemical and radiochemical investigations of surface and deep particles of the In an Ocean. Earth Planet Sci Lett 54 81-96 Kroirfeld J, Vogel JC (1991) Uranium Isotopes in surface waters from southern Africa. Earth Planet Sci Lett 105 191-195... 

Kronfeld J, Vogel JC (1991) Uranium isotopes in surface waters from southern Africa. Earth Planet Sci Lett 105 191-195... 

Uranium deposited by wet or dry precipitation will be deposited on land or in surface waters. If land deposition occurs, the uranium can be reincorporated into soil, resuspended in the atmosphere (typically factors are around 10 ), washed from the land into surface water, incorporated into groundwater, or deposited on or adsorbed onto plant roots Gittle or none enters the plant through leaves or roots). Conditions that increase the rate of formation of soluble complexes and decrease the rate of sorption of labile uranium in soil and sediment enhance the mobility of uranium. Significant reactions of uranium in soil are formation of complexes with anions and hgands (e.g., COj, OH ) or humic acid, and reduction of U" " to U. Other factors that control the mobility of uranium in soil are the oxidation-reduction potential, the pH, and the sorbing characteristics of the sediments and soils (Allard et al. 1979, 1982 Brunskill and Wilkinson 1987 Herczeg et al. 1988 Premuzie et al. 1995). 

In addition to processes of the nuclear fuel cycle, release of uranium has been detected in surface water adjacent to a radioactive waste disposal site in Massachusetts (Cottrell et al. 1981). measurements indicated that surface water located adjacent to the waste disposal site had concentrations of up to 155 pCi/L. Additionally, groundwater measurements of and at the disposal site were 4,400 pCi/L and 2,400 pCi/L, respectively. These values were elevated compared to values obtained in a study performed for the EPA (Drury 1981). For the EPA study, a total of 35,000 surface water samples from across the United States were analyzed the average total uranium concentration was 1.1 pCi/L (range 0.01-582 pCi/E). Of these, 28,000 were considered samples of domestic water supplies. In this same study, 55,000 groundwater samples had a total mean uranium concentration of 3.2 pCi/L (range 0.01-635 pCi/L). 

Unauthorized landfill disposal of uranium processing wastes (e.g., Shpack Landfill in Norton, Massachusetts, and the Middlesex Municipal Landfill in Middlesex, New Jersey) has resulted in soil contamination (Bechtel National 1984 Cottrell et al. 1981). Also, elevated uranium concentrations have been measured in soil samples collected at 30 of 51 hazardous waste sites and in sediment samples at 16 of 51 hazardous waste sites (HazDat 1998). The HazDat data includes both Superfund and NPL sites. Elevated concentrations of uranium have been detected in soil, in surface water, in groundwater, or in all three of these environmental media from these sites. In several cases, the uranium concentrations in soils were significantly elevated. For example, uranium concentrations from the Shpack/ALI site were found to be 16,460 pCi/g (24,000 pg/g). At the United States Radium Corporation site (New Jersey), uranium concentrahons ranged from 90 to 12,000 pCi/g (130-18,000 pg/g) for the Monticello site (Utah), uranium levels were reported to range from 1 to 24,000 pCi/g (1.5-36,000 pg/g) (HazDat 1998). 

Uranium isotopes have been used widely in surface water systems to trace water sources and pathways as well as rock weathering processes (Moore, 1967 Moreira-Nordemann, 1980 Scott, 1982 Sarin et al., 1990 Tuzova and Novikov, 1991 Osmond and Ivanovich, 1992 Plater et al, 1992 Palmer and Edmond, 1993 Pande et al, 1994 Zhao et al., 1994 Lienert et al, 1994 Chabaux et al, 1998 Riotte and Chabaux, 1999 Hakam et al, 2001). Some of these studies have addressed the effect of rock weathering and rock type (especially carbonates versus silicates) on the 234pj/238]j (e.g.,... 

Chabaux E., Riotte J., Benedetti M., Boulegue J., Gerard M., and Ildefonse P. (1998) Uranium isotopes in surface waters from the Mount Cameroon tracing water sources or basalt weathering Min. Mag. 62A, 296—297. 

A direct geochemical check on the particle flux of organic matter from the euphotic zone determined by sediment traps is achieved by using the mass balance of thorium isotopes in surface waters. Since decay systematics and chemistry of the uranium series isotopes were introduced in Chapter 5, we will only briefly reiterate them here. is relatively unreactive in oxic seawater and exists in the ocean as a conservative element, i.e. the concentration normalized to salinity is everywhere the same to within measurement error. decays to which is very reactive to particles and has a relatively short radioactive half life of 24.1 d ... 

An essential step in the safety analysis of potential waste repositories is the prediction of what chemical species are formed in the actual water. For exanq>le, the relatively high solubility of uranium in sea water is due to this strong carbonate complexation which forms 1102(003)3. Figure 22.6 shows the variation of uranyl species in a surface water under nor atnnspheric pressure of OO2 (Pco2 Iog[CC ]=2pH-18.1 +logPc02)-... 

Highlights The determination of the uranium content and isotopic composition in surface water samples is normally easier than in ocean water due to the generally lower salt content in the former. Matrix effects could cause a bias in the nranium content measurements that can be corrected with an internal standard or separation of uranium and care must be taken to avoid precipitation or absorption of uraninm in the sample container. The 234u/23su ratio may yield interesting geological information. 

In fact, the presence of such inorganic arsenic (As(V/III)), fluoride (F ) and uranium (U(VI)) species (mostly ions) in groundwater (and to less extent in surface water) is a critical global issue, and has created severe health impacts for decades. Bioaccumulation and adverse effects on human health by intake of these ions via drinking water have been well documented (e.g., Fawell et al., 2006 Qrloff et al., 2004 Smedley and Kinniburgh, 2002). 

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