Radiological impact assessment of uranium mine deposit

Uranium mining is the first step in the nuclear fuel cycle to produce energy. In the nuclear fuel cycle, main steps are; Mining/Milling, Conversion, Enrichment, Nuclear Fuel Fabrication, Reactors, Reprocessing of the spent fuel and Waste Management. In the first step, there are three main methods for uranium ore extraction. These are; Open Pit Mining, Underground Mining and In-Situ leaching (ISL/Lixiviation). All forms of mining methods create health risks for people and hazard for the environment. In this study, in-situ radiation measurements as gamma dose rates around uranium outcrops were taken from near-surface uranium deposits in Turkey. These measurements were carried out by using portable Spectroscopic Radiation Detector (SPRD). Absorbed dose rates and radioactivity values were used to calculate annual effective dose (AED). Depend on the radiation measurements, health and environmental impacts were evaluated. Results show that gamma dose rates in the air of uranium outcrops ranged between 0,52 μGy/h and 2,21 μGy/h. The calculated AED values show that annual effective dose with an average value of 0,12 mSv/y and 6,79 mSv/y depend on the estimated occupational time. These values are higher than the world average values.