Evaluation of radionuclides in groundwater around proposed uranium mining sites in Bagjata and Banduhurang, Jharkhand (India)

Radionuclides find their way into the water resources at sites in the vicinity of nuclear facilities involved in mining, milling, ore separation, purification, etc. The presented study delineates the distribution of radionuclides {Ra and U(nat)} in groundwaters existing in the vicinity of two proposed uranium mine sites and evaluates their ingestion dose through the intake of drinking water. The study reveals that the U(nat) concentration in groundwater varied from <0.5 to 11.2 μg.l-1 in the Bagjata mining area and from <0.5 to 27.5 μg.l-1 in the Banduhurang mining area, while 226Ra was found in the range of <3.5 to 206 mBq.l-1 and