Uptake of 210Po by aquatic plants of a fresh water ecosystem around the uranium mill tailings management facility of Jaduguda, India.

PURPOSE

The present study was designed to investigate the uptake of Polonium-210 ((210)Po) by aquatic plants growing in a fresh water ecosystem around the tailings management facility of the uranium industry of Jaduguda, India. Evaluation of the activity concentration of (210)Po in aquatic plants, the concentration ratio of (210)Po from substrate to plants and the relationship of (210)Po with other stable elements were major objectives of the investigation.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Based on the habitat, three types of plant were collected and analyzed for (210)Po activity estimation. Along with aquatic plants, effluent, surface water and bottom sediment were also collected and analyzed for (210)Po activity content. From the acid solution (210)Po was electrodeposited on brightly polished silver discs and counted for alpha activity in an alpha counter.

RESULTS

The highest (210)Po activity concentration (4884 Bq kg(-1) fresh weight) was found in filamentous algae from residual water of the tailings pond. For sediment-rooted plants, a significant positive correlation (r = 0.91, p < 0.0001) was observed between plant and sediment activity concentration of (210)Po.

CONCLUSIONS

For all of the three different groups of plants studied, highly significant correlations were observed between activity concentration of (210)Po and Cu with the significance level variation between 0.00-0.05 (both for linear and log transformed data).