The study of natural and artificial radionuclides incorporation in teeth and head bones of animals lived nearby Caetité uranium mine, Brazil.

The research evaluates the impact of uranium mining operations on the radioactive contamination of nearby animals in Caetité, Brazil. It specifically focuses on the detection of both natural and artificial radioactive isotopes in the teeth and skull bones of bovines and equines.

Sampling and Analysis

• The study was done in 2014 where researchers collected samples of bovine and equine teeth and skull bones from animals living near a uranium mine in Caetité, Brazil.
• These samples were then analyzed for the presence of natural and artificial isotopes. This measurement was done using advanced nuclear spectrometry techniques, which are methods of identifying and analyzing the abundance of individual isotopes in a sample.

Detection and Measurement Techniques

• Gamma-ray emission from Ra (Radium) and K (Potassium) isotopes was determined using a technique known as high-purity germanium (HPGe) spectrometry. HPGe spectrometry is a method of detecting and measuring gamma-ray energies.
• Sr (Strontium) radioactivity was measured with liquid scintillation, a method used to detect certain types of radiation activity.
• The researchers used alpha-spectrometry to assess the radioactivity levels of U (Uranium), Th (Thorium), Po (Polonium) and Pu (Plutonium).
• Before these measurements were taken, the samples were dissolved and isotope separations were performed to isolate each isotope for individual measurement.

Results and Conclusions

• Results did reveal a high concentration of Th (Thorium) isotopes in the skull bones and the teeth of these animals, reaching levels of up to 179 Bq (becquerels) per kilogram of ash – a measure of radioactivity.
• Ra (Radium) concentrations proved slightly lower but were still detected.
• Other isotope concentrations were either significantly lower or fell below detectable limits.
• Interestingly, the researchers were unable to identify sources of technologically enhanced levels of Ra (Radium) in the area examined, leading them to suggest that its origin is likely natural.