RADIOACTIVITY AND CHEMISTRY OF GROUNDWATER FROM URANIUM MINERALIZED AREAS AROUND GURBRUNDE, NORTH-EASTERN NIGERIA
RADIOACTIVITY AND CHEMISTRY OF GROUNDWATER FROM URANIUM MINERALIZED AREAS AROUND GURBRUNDE, NORTH-EASTERN NIGERIA
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Date
2012
Authors
ABDULLAHI, ARABI SULEIMAN
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Abstract
Uranium mineralization around Gubrunde, Kanawa, Zona and Dali in north-eastern Nigeria
has been reported by previous workers. As a result of its chemical toxicity and/or ionizing
radiation, consumption of groundwater with elevated uranium levels over a long period of
time has the possibility of causing kidney and/or cancer problems. Thirty five groundwater
samples were collected from dug wells within latitude 10°00’N to 10°30’N and longitude
11°30’E to 12°00’E. These samples were analyzed for mass/activity concentration of
uranium, radium and thorium, concentration of major, minor and trace constituents in order
to evaluate the risks associated with its use for different purposes. The results showed that
uranium concentration ranges from 0.07 to 68.09μg/L (0.07 to 61.28pCi/L) with percentage
relative standard deviation (%RSD) of 4.06%. A total of 5.7% of the samples analyzed had
uranium concentrations exceeding the World Health Organization’s maximum contaminant
level of 30μg/L indicating a possibility that consumption of water from these areas over a
long period of time might result in kidney and/or cancer problems. The presence of
dissolved phosphate, slightly acidic and high iron values in the waters might have affected
the migration of radionuclides from the rhyolite and undifferentiated granite and gneisses to
water leading to low uranium levels in 84.3% of the samples. Values recorded for 226Ra and
228Ra range from 0.05 to 6.7pCi/L and 0.2 to 4.8pCi/L, respectively, which falls below the
guideline of 20pCi/L. Thorium is not considered a threat as values recorded range from 0.02
to 1.10μg/L. Water types identified are Mg-HCO3, Ca-HCO3, Na-HCO3, Mg-Cl and Ca-Cl
types, with percentage distributions of 45.7%, 22.8%, 14.28%, 14.28% and 2.85%,
respectively. As regards their suitability for irrigation, 82.7% of the samples were
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categorized as good to excellent, 8.3% as permissible to good, 6% as doubtful to
permissible, and 3% as unsuitable for irrigation.
Description
A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE
SCHOOL OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES,
AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY
IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT FOR THE AWARD OF
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN APPLIED HYDROGEOLOGY
DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY
AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY
ZARIA
2012
Keywords
RADIOACTIVITY,, GEOCHEMISTRY,, GROUNDWATER,, URANIUM,, MINERALIZED,, AREAS,, GURBRUNDE,, NORTH-EASTERN,, NIGERIA.