Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

The New Uranium Mining BoomRadiation Protection and Environmental Safety Surveillance in Uranium Mining and Ore Processing in India

The New Uranium Mining Boom: Radiation Protection and Environmental Safety Surveillance in... [Radiation protection and environmental safety surveillance has been an integral part of the entire uranium mining and ore processing industry in India since the first uranium mine and the mill were commissioned at Jaduguda in 1967. Workplace and environmental monitoring for gamma radiation, radon, airborne long-lived alpha activity and evaluation of workers’ exposure are undertaken in all facilities. Treated tailings are safely confined in engineered containment facilities and regularly monitored to ensure regulatory compliance. Many monitoring devices such as scintillation cell, low level radon detection system, continuous radon monitor, Rn working level meter and SSNTD/TLD based personal dosimeters have been indigenously developed, calibrated and used for monitoring of workplace, personnel and the environment including dwellings. Regular up-gradation of mining and ore processing operations including ventilation system has helped in keeping workers’ exposures well below the prescribed limit. Treated effluents are mostly recycled for use in plants. All releases to the environment are monitored. Used up part of the tailings pond is being provided with appropriate soil and vegetation cover to reduce gamma radiation and radon flux to near natural background levels. Radiation dose to mine workers has shown a downward trend averaging around 5 mSv.y–1 during the past several years. The indigenously developed instruments and monitoring methodologies are described and workplace and environmental monitoring data for over a decade are summarized in this paper. Role of vegetation and plants in the long-term stabilization, confinement and remediation of uranium tailings is discussed. Impact of the operations on the public domain is found to be negligible.] http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png

The New Uranium Mining BoomRadiation Protection and Environmental Safety Surveillance in Uranium Mining and Ore Processing in India

Part of the Springer Geology Book Series
Editors: Merkel, Broder; Schipek, Mandy
Khan, A.H.; Puranik, V.D.
The New Uranium Mining Boom — Jan 1, 2012
Download PDF
10 pages

Loading next page...
 
/lp/springer-journals/the-new-uranium-mining-boom-radiation-protection-and-environmental-6m8RoiQju0

References (4)

Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Copyright
© Springer Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2012
ISBN
978-3-642-22121-7
Pages
39 –49
DOI
10.1007/978-3-642-22122-4_5
Publisher site
See Chapter on Publisher Site

Abstract

[Radiation protection and environmental safety surveillance has been an integral part of the entire uranium mining and ore processing industry in India since the first uranium mine and the mill were commissioned at Jaduguda in 1967. Workplace and environmental monitoring for gamma radiation, radon, airborne long-lived alpha activity and evaluation of workers’ exposure are undertaken in all facilities. Treated tailings are safely confined in engineered containment facilities and regularly monitored to ensure regulatory compliance. Many monitoring devices such as scintillation cell, low level radon detection system, continuous radon monitor, Rn working level meter and SSNTD/TLD based personal dosimeters have been indigenously developed, calibrated and used for monitoring of workplace, personnel and the environment including dwellings. Regular up-gradation of mining and ore processing operations including ventilation system has helped in keeping workers’ exposures well below the prescribed limit. Treated effluents are mostly recycled for use in plants. All releases to the environment are monitored. Used up part of the tailings pond is being provided with appropriate soil and vegetation cover to reduce gamma radiation and radon flux to near natural background levels. Radiation dose to mine workers has shown a downward trend averaging around 5 mSv.y–1 during the past several years. The indigenously developed instruments and monitoring methodologies are described and workplace and environmental monitoring data for over a decade are summarized in this paper. Role of vegetation and plants in the long-term stabilization, confinement and remediation of uranium tailings is discussed. Impact of the operations on the public domain is found to be negligible.]

Published: Jan 1, 2012

Keywords: Radon Concentration; Tailing Pond; Gamma Dose Rate; Radon Progeny; Natural Background Level

There are no references for this article.