Assessment of the radiological situation near a mothballed uranium mining facility in North-East Kazakhstan

Abstract

In this study, we present radiometric measurements near the mothballed Grachevskoye uranium mining facility (MUMF) and the settlement of Saumalkol, located in northeast Kazakhstan. A pedestrian gamma spectrometric survey was conducted at locations of elevated gamma radiation. Spots with elevated gross activity values were detected in the northern part of the settlement and on a motor road. The pathways of radionuclides from the Grachevskoye MUMF to the area around the Saumalkol settlement were addressed. The migration ability of radionuclides and the process of radionuclide transport by ambient air did not have significant effects on the progression of the radioecological situation in the village. However, even after the mine was shut down, the concentration of uranium in the potable water intake well in the village increased eightfold (up to 240 µ/L). Radiological hazards were estimated to exceed recommended parameters.