Risk Assessment of Groundwater Pollution by Radionuclides Released from A hypothetical Waste Disposal Site Northeast Sinai – Egypt

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Nuclear and Radiological Safety Research Center - Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority, ,Cairo, Egypt.

2 Nuclear and Radiological Safety Research Center - Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority, Egypt

3 Nuclear and Radiological Safety Research Center - Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority, Egypt.

4 Faculty of Engineering, hydraulics department, Cairo University, Egypt.

5 Nano-photochemistry and Solar chemistry laboratories, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, , Ain Shams University, Abbassia, 11566 Cairo, Egypt.

Abstract

A risk assessment study of a hypothetical near-surface geological repository of low and intermediate radioactive wastes was estimated to determine the potential risks to future generations from the migration of five radionuclides in groundwater. Quantifying risk was done from the output concentration, of the radionuclides released due to degradation and total damage of the engineered and geological barriers of the disposal site. This simulation started after 100 years of institutional period through two scenarios of continuous release of 0.1%, and instantaneous release of the radionuclides to groundwater. The annual effective dose was calculated for Tritium, Cesium-137, Strontium-90, Iodine-129, and Technetium-99 that leached out to groundwater to determine the health risk to each critical individual with the time-dependent dose received to the human body through drinking water. The highest dose results for all radionuclides in both cases have exceeded the maximum dose limit at about 100 - 300 m within 47:100 years. The calculated risk obtained was much higher than the permissible risk limits at 100m in the two released scenarios and continuously decreases till 300m, except 3H has higher human risk values up to 1.5 km. So, the groundwater monitoring program should be continued for 200 y, and groundwater shouldn't be drilled at less than 1500 m from the disposal site.

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Egyptian Journal of Chemistry
Volume 66, Issue 13 - Serial Number 13
Special Issue: Applied Chemistry for Greener Life and Sustainability
December 2023
Pages 1383-1394

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History

  • Receive Date: 24 January 2023
  • Revise Date: 23 May 2023
  • Accept Date: 28 May 2023

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