Uranium bioassay and radioactive dust measurements at some uranium processing sites in Egypt—health effects

Abstract

The safety of radiation workers in the uranium mining industry requires close and continuous monitoring of their working conditions. In this study, external radiation surveillance, radioactive dust monitoring and the bioassay of uranium were carried out in some processing sites. As dust represents one of the most important sources of radiation exposure in mills and mines, dust monitoring and bioassays were performed for a sample of workers on the production lines. The concentration of uranium in air ranged from 22.6 × 10⁻⁷ to 11.1 × 10⁻⁵ Bq cm⁻³, and the exposure levels ranged from 1 to 80 µSv h⁻¹. Laser fluorimetric determination of uranium in urine samples showed concentrations in the range 8.4–29.2 µg L⁻¹. Renal function parameters, such as serum creatinine and urea, and hematological parameters were determined in an attempt to correlate them with radiation exposure and the health status of the workers. Urine specimens collected from workers at the ore crushing and separation site showed elevated concentrations of uranium (up to 29.2 µg L⁻¹) and a strong correlation between these concentrations and the registered serum creatinine. The mean uranium excretion in the investigated group was more than 20 times the occupational exposure decision level for urine uranium of 0.8 µg L⁻¹.