International Conference on the Management of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) in Industry

Enhancement of Exposure to Naturally Occurring Radioactivity in Relationship with Artisanal Mining Activities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Not scheduled

5m

IAEA Headquarters, Vienna, Austria

Poster NORM Characterization, Measurement, Decontamination Session IV - Characterization in Industrial Facilities and in the Environment

Speaker

Mr Emmanuel Atibu (UNIVERSITY OF KINSHASA)

Description

This study was carried out to assess the concentration and distribution of naturally occurring radionuclides in soils and sediments collected along Luilu and Dilala Rivers, at the mining district of Kolwezi (Lualaba province) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Soil and sediment samples were analyzed by gamma-ray spectrometry. The 226Ra average activity concentrations in soils were 2-6 times higher than the worldwide average value reported by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), the average concentration of 40K was lower than the worldwide average, while 232Th was similar to the worldwide average. The sampling sites that displayed the highest concentration values of 235U and 226Ra in both river basins corresponded to sites affected by industrial mining discharges and artisanal mining activities.