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Environmental geochemistry of higher radioactivity in a transboundary Himalayan river sediment (Brahmaputra, Bangladesh): potential radiation exposure and health risks

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Abstract

This study of a downstream segment (Brahmaputra, Bangladesh) of one of the longest transboundary (China-India-Bangladesh) Himalayan rivers reveals elevated radioactivity compared to other freshwater basins across the world. Naturally occurring radioactive nuclides (226Ra, 232Th, and 40K) and metal contents (transition metals, Fe, Ti, Sc, and V; rare earth elements, La, Ce, Eu, Sm, Dy, Yb, and Lu; high field strength elements, Ta and Hf; and actinides, Th and U) in thirty sediment samples were measured by HPGe γ-spectrophotometry and research reactor-based neutron activation analysis, respectively. We systematically investigated the mechanism of the deposition of higher radioactivity concentrations and rare earth elements (REEs) associated with heavy minerals (HMs) and photomicrograph-based mineralogical analysis. The results show that total REEs (∑REE) and Ta, Hf, U, and Th are generally 1.5- to 3.0-fold elevated compared to crustal values associated with -δEu and -δCe anomalies, suggesting a felsic source provenance. The enrichment of light REEs (×1.5 upper continental crust (UCC)) and Th (×1.9 UCC), besides Th/U (=7.74 ± 2.35) and 232Th/40K ratios, along with the micrographic and statistical approaches, revealed the elevated presence of HMs. Fluvial suspended sedimentary transportation (from upstream) followed by mineralogical recycling and sorting enriched the HM depositions in this basin. Bivariate plots, including La/Th-Hf, La/Th-Th/Yb, and La/V-Th/Yb, revealed significant contributions of felsic source rock compared to mafic sources. The assessment of radiological hazards demonstrates ionizing-radiation-associated health risks to the local residents and people inhabiting houses made from Brahmaputra River sediments (as construction material).

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Acknowledgements

The authors extend their appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Khalid University for funding this work through Group Research Project under grant number (R.G.P.2/146/43). We are thankful to the technical personnel associated with this study, especially to the persons involve in the TRIGA Mark II research reactor operation at the center for research reactor, AERE, Bangladesh atomic energy commission.

Funding

The authors extend their appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Khalid University for funding this work through Group Research Project under grant number (R.G.P.2/146/43).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Nuclear Science & Technology, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, Savar, Dhaka, 1349, Bangladesh

    Rahat Khan, Hossain Mohammad Touhidul Islam & Md Adnan Sarker Apon

  2. Department of Disaster Management, Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur, 5400, Bangladesh

    Hossain Mohammad Touhidul Islam, Md Adnan Sarker Apon & Abu Reza Md Towfiqul Islam

  3. Geological Survey of Bangladesh, Segunbaghicha, Dhaka, 1000, Bangladesh

    Md Ahosan Habib

  4. Environmental Assessment and Technology for Hazardous Waste Management Research Center, Faculty of Environmental Management, | Prince of Songkla University, Hatyai, Songkhla, 90112, Thailand

    Md Ahosan Habib, Khamphe Phoungthong & Kuaanan Techato

  5. Department of Chemistry, College of Science, King Khalid University, Abha, 62529, Saudi Arabia

    Abubakr M. Idris

  6. Research Center for Advanced Materials Science (RCAMS), King Khalid University, Abha, 62529, Saudi Arabia

    Abubakr M. Idris

Authors
  1. Rahat Khan
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  2. Hossain Mohammad Touhidul Islam
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  3. Md Adnan Sarker Apon
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  4. Abu Reza Md Towfiqul Islam
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  5. Md Ahosan Habib
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  6. Khamphe Phoungthong
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  7. Abubakr M. Idris
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  8. Kuaanan Techato
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Contributions

Rahat Khan and ARM Towfiqul Islam: Conceptualization, methodology, validation, writing — original draft preparation and supervision. H.M. Touhidul Islam and Md. Adnan Sarker Apon: Methodology, investigation, sample collections, and preparation. Md. Ahosan Habib and Khamphe Phoungthong: Mineralogical study and explaining the data outcomes. Abubakr M. Idris and Kuaanan Techato: Reviewing, editing, and original draft preparation. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Rahat Khan.

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Khan, R., Islam, H.M.T., Apon, M.A.S. et al. Environmental geochemistry of higher radioactivity in a transboundary Himalayan river sediment (Brahmaputra, Bangladesh): potential radiation exposure and health risks. Environ Sci Pollut Res 29, 57357–57375 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19735-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-022-19735-5

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