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Suárez-Navarro JA, Gil-Pacheco E, Expósito-Suárez VM, Gómez-Mancebo MB, Vicente-Prieto N, García-Gómez H, Suárez-Navarro MJ, Sánchez-González SM, Caro A, Hernáiz G, Barragán M, Cid-Morillo C. Influence of soil chemical composition on U, 226Ra and 210Pb uptake in leaves and fruits of Quercus ilex L. J Environ Radioact 2023; 264:107187. [PMID: 37186982 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2023.107187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Revised: 03/03/2023] [Accepted: 04/18/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
To determine their transfer factors, activity concentrations of natural radionuclides were measured in the leaves and acorns of holm oak (Quercus ilex L.) trees collected from seven locations with different soil properties and radionuclide activity concentrations. The chemical and mineralogical compositions of the soils were also analysed to investigate the effect these had on radionuclide absorption by the trees. Soil chemistry showed significant effects on radionuclide incorporation into Quercus ilex L. tissues. A significant relationship was established between activity concentrations and soil content of Ca and P with 238U and 226Ra in the leaves and acorns of Quercus ilex L. Differentiated transfer was found for 40K, which showed greater transfer to the leaves than the other radionuclides. The activity concentration of U and 226Ra was higher in the fruits than in the leaves, with the opposite effect being observed for 40K. The risk of U and 226Ra transfer into the food chain through acorn consumption by livestock is predicted to increase in soils poor in Ca and rich in P.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A Suárez-Navarro
- Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), Avd/Complutense, 40, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
| | - E Gil-Pacheco
- Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Salamanca (IRNASA-CSIC), CSIC, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, C/Cordel de Merinas, 40, 37008, Salamanca, Spain
| | - V M Expósito-Suárez
- Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), Avd/Complutense, 40, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - M B Gómez-Mancebo
- Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), Avd/Complutense, 40, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - H García-Gómez
- Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), Avd/Complutense, 40, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - M J Suárez-Navarro
- Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), Departamento de Hidráulica, Energía y Medioambiente, E.T.S.I. Caminos, Canales y Puertos, Profesor Aranguren s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - S M Sánchez-González
- Universidad Europea Miguel de Cervantes, C/Padre Julio Chevalier, 2, 47012, Valladolid, Spain
| | - A Caro
- Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), Avd/Complutense, 40, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - G Hernáiz
- Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), Avd/Complutense, 40, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - M Barragán
- Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), Avd/Complutense, 40, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - C Cid-Morillo
- Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), Avd/Complutense, 40, 28040, Madrid, Spain
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Gil-Pacheco E, Suárez-Navarro JA, Fernández-Salegui AB, Sánchez-González SM, Suarez-Navarro MJ, García-Sánchez A. Factors that influence the absorption of uranium by indigenous plants on the spoil tip of an abandoned mine in western Spain. Sci Total Environ 2021; 759:143571. [PMID: 33248777 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2020] [Revised: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/04/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of this work was to study the factors affecting the absorption of U by plants growing on the spoil tip of an abandoned mine in western Spain. The plant species were selected based on how palatable they were to livestock and were sampled for four consecutive years during which, we also recorded rainfall data. The factors related to the plants studied were the leaf size and the percentage and characteristics of the arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) fungi present in their roots. Our results showed a correlation between the annual rainfall and the U concentration in the plants. The percentage of mycorrhization and AM vesicles is a predominant factor in the uptake of U by plants. Spergularia rubra (L.) J.Presl & C.Presl, which is resistant to mycorrhization, contained higher U concentrations relative to the plants that grew with AM mycorrhization. The absorption curves of the different plants studied indicated that these plants were tolerant to 238U from 875 Bq kg-1 (70 mg kg-1), with a hormesis effect below that concentration. The annual U removal was 0.068%, suggesting that AM are responsible for limiting the incorporation of U into the food chain, favouring its retention in the soil and preventing its dispersion.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Gil-Pacheco
- Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Salamanca (IRNASA-CSIC), CSIC, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, C/Cordel de Merinas, 40, 37008 Salamanca, Spain
| | - J A Suárez-Navarro
- Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), Avd/Complutense, 40, 28040 Madrid, Spain.
| | - A B Fernández-Salegui
- Universidad de León, Departamento de Biodiversidad y Gestión Ambiental área de Botánica, Campus de Vegazana, 24071 León, Spain
| | - S M Sánchez-González
- Universidad Europea Miguel de Cervantes, C/Padre Julio Chevalier, 2., 47012 Valladolid, Spain
| | - M J Suarez-Navarro
- Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), Departamento de Hidráulica, Energía y Medioambiente, E.T.S.I. Caminos, Canales y Puertos, Profesor Aranguren s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - A García-Sánchez
- Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Salamanca (IRNASA-CSIC), CSIC, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, C/Cordel de Merinas, 40, 37008 Salamanca, Spain
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Gil-Pacheco E, Suárez-Navarro JA, Sánchez-González SM, Suarez-Navarro MJ, Hernáiz G, García-Sánchez A. A radiological index for evaluating the impact of an abandoned uranium mining area in Salamanca, Western Spain. Environ Pollut 2020; 258:113825. [PMID: 31874441 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2019.113825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Revised: 11/22/2019] [Accepted: 12/15/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The establishment of a screening index would be a powerful tool to decide whether abandoned uranium mining areas should be rehabilitated or decommissioned. Thus, in this work we established a radiological index which uses the activity concentrations of different groups of gamma emitters from the natural radioactive series of 238U, 235U, and 232Th, as well as 40K and 137Cs. These activity concentrations were calculated by using the absorbed gamma radiation dose value of 175 nGy h-1 specified in the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations. We studied our index in an abandoned uranium mining area in Salamanca, Western Spain, and found that the most influential factors in this area were the presence of organic matter in the soil and the possible effect that plants and fungi may have on the retention of these aforementioned radionuclides. In addition, the results showed that contaminants are migrating in an easterly direction in line with the prevailing wind direction and we were able to identify areas in which the radiological risk is likely high. The mean effective dose rate was 2.51 ± 0.98 mSv y-1 which was equivalent to the levels obtained in previous works.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Gil-Pacheco
- Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Salamanca (IRNASA-CSIC), CSIC, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, C/Cordel de Merinas, 40, 37008, Salamanca, Spain
| | - J A Suárez-Navarro
- Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), Avd/ Complutense, 40, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
| | - S M Sánchez-González
- Universidad Europea Miguel de Cervantes, C/Padre Julio Chevalier, 2. 47012, Valladolid Spain
| | - M J Suarez-Navarro
- Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), Departamento de Hidráulica, Energía y Medioambiente, E.T.S.I. Caminos, Canales y Puertos, Profesor Aranguren s/n, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - G Hernáiz
- Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), Avd/ Complutense, 40, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - A García-Sánchez
- Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiología de Salamanca (IRNASA-CSIC), CSIC, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, C/Cordel de Merinas, 40, 37008, Salamanca, Spain
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