Transfer Rates of 238U and 232Th for E. globulus, A. mearnsii, H. filipendula and Hazardous Effects of the Usage of Medicinal Plants From Around Gold Mine Dump Environs

Victor M. Tshivhase, Raymond L. Njinga, Manny Mathuthu and Thulani C. Dlamini
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Victor M. Tshivhase: Centre for Applied Radiation Science and Technology, North West University, Mafikeng 2735, South Africa
Raymond L. Njinga: Centre for Applied Radiation Science and Technology, North West University, Mafikeng 2735, South Africa
Manny Mathuthu: Centre for Applied Radiation Science and Technology, North West University, Mafikeng 2735, South Africa
Thulani C. Dlamini: Centre for Applied Radiation Science and Technology, North West University, Mafikeng 2735, South Africa

IJERPH, 2015, vol. 12, issue 12, 1-12

Abstract: Medicinal plant consumption can be a source of human exposure to radioactive elements such as 238 U and 232 Th, which can lead to internal radiation doses. The uptake of 238 U and 232 Th from soils to the leaf samples of three different medicinal plant species ( Eucalyptus globulus, Acacia mearnsii and Hyparrhenia filipendula ) from the purlieu of the Princess gold mine dump, an abandoned contaminated tailings storage site (TSS), located at longitude 27°55?00?E and latitude 26°09?30?S in Davidsonville (Roodepoort, west of Johannesburg, South Africa) was measured. This was done using ICP-MS spectrometry and substantial differences were observed in the soil-plant transfer factor (TF) values between these radionuclides. The plant species E. globulus exhibited the highest uptake of 238 U, with an average TF of 3.97, while that of H. filipendula was 0.01 and the lowest TF of 0.15 × 10 ?2 was measured for A. mearnsii . However, in the case of 232 Th, the highest average TF was observed for A. mearnsii (0.29), followed by E. globulus (0.10) and lowest was measured for H. filipendula (0.27 × 10 ?2 ). The ratio of TF average value i.e. , 238 U to 232 Th in the soil-plant leaves was 38.05 for E. globulus , 0.01 for A. mearnsii and 4.38 for H. filipendula .

Keywords: transfer factor; uranium; thorium; tailings storage site; contaminated soil (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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