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Environmental impact assessment of post illegal mining activities in Chini Lake with regards to natural radionuclides and heavy metals in water and sediment

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Abstract

Comprehensive radiological survey and evaluation of heavy metal contamination were conducted in Chini Lake, which has been awarded a pristine title of Biosphere Reserve. The concentrations of 226Ra, 228Ra, and 40K in sediments exceeded the average soil in Malaysia. Besides, the concentration of As, V, and Zn in sediments were greater than the Dutch/Malaysian target values. Results showed that the annual effective dose equivalent (AEDE) values of sediments were slightly higher than 1 mSv/y. The pollution indices indicated that the sediments were moderately to severely contaminated. Oral consumption of the lake water could cause substantial radiation-related health issues.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) under Grant Number GP-2019-K018915. The authors would like to acknowledge all lab technicians of the Nuclear Science Program, UKM for their technical support throughout the work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nuclear Science Programme, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, UKM, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

    Eli Syafiqah Aziman, Aznan Fazli Ismail, Siti Fatimah Jubri & Muhammad Abdullah Rahmat

  2. Nuclear Technology Research Center, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

    Aznan Fazli Ismail

  3. Water Analysis Research Centre (ALIR), Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

    Aznan Fazli Ismail & Wan Mohd Razi Idris

  4. Department of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

    Wan Mohd Razi Idris

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  1. Eli Syafiqah Aziman
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Aziman, E.S., Ismail, A.F., Jubri, S.F. et al. Environmental impact assessment of post illegal mining activities in Chini Lake with regards to natural radionuclides and heavy metals in water and sediment. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 330, 667–683 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-021-08049-4

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