Department of Medical Radiation Sciences, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sahlgrenska Academy at University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Department of Applied Physics II, ETSA, University of Seville, Seville, Spain.
PLoS One. 2022 Mar 31;17(3):e0266002. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0266002. eCollection 2022.
Northern Sweden has been the object of intense metal mining in the last decades producing several water-filled open-pits, or pit lakes. Most of these pit lakes have been limed to maintain a good water quality and to prevent generation of acidic water that could leach the exposed rocks and release metals into water. The aim of this work was to examine the concentration of stable elements and naturally occurring radionuclides in water and sediment samples from pit lakes originating from non-uranium mining activities in Northern Sweden. Surface water and surface sediments were collected from 27 pit lakes in Northern Sweden. Water quality parameters, concentration of stable elements and radionuclides were measured by a water probe, ICP-MS and XRF, and alpha and gamma spectrometry, respectively. Furthermore, a multivariate statistical analysis (PCA) was performed on the water samples and sediments. In general, the quality of the surface water was good, but some lakes had low pH values (2.5-5.7), and high concentrations of Fe (up to 200 mg/L) and other metals (e.g. Zn, Cu). When relating the metal concentrations in sediments in pit lakes with the concentration found in natural lakes, some sites had relatively high levels of Cu, As, Cr and Pb. The activity concentration of 210Po, and U and Th isotopes in water and sediment samples were at environmental levels, as was the ambient dose equivalent rate at these sites (range 0.08-0.14 μSv/h).
瑞典北部在过去几十年中一直是密集金属开采的目标，产生了几个充满水的露天矿坑，或矿坑湖。大多数这些矿坑湖都经过石灰处理，以保持良好的水质，并防止产生酸性水，这种酸性水可能会浸出暴露的岩石并将金属释放到水中。本工作的目的是研究源自瑞典北部非铀矿开采活动的矿坑湖中稳定元素和天然放射性核素在水和沉积物样品中的浓度。从瑞典北部的 27 个矿坑湖中采集了地表水和表层沉积物。水质参数、稳定元素和放射性核素的浓度分别通过水探针、ICP-MS 和 XRF 以及α和γ谱仪进行了测量。此外，还对水样和沉积物进行了多元统计分析（PCA）。一般来说，地表水的质量很好，但有些湖泊的 pH 值较低（2.5-5.7），铁（高达 200mg/L）和其他金属（如 Zn、Cu）浓度较高。当将矿坑湖底沉积物中的金属浓度与天然湖泊中的浓度进行比较时，一些地点的 Cu、As、Cr 和 Pb 浓度相对较高。水和沉积物样品中 210Po 和 U、Th 同位素的活度浓度以及这些地点的环境剂量当量率（范围为 0.08-0.14μSv/h）处于环境水平。
