Sains Malaysiana 52(8)(2023): 2377-2394

http://doi.org/10.17576/jsm-2023-5208-15

Radiological Impact Assessment of Natural Radionuclides and Heavy Metal Contamination in Industrial Tin-Tailing Processing Effluent

(Penilaian Impak Radiologi Radionuklid Tabii dan Pelumusan Logam Berat dalam Efluen Industri Pemprosesan Amang)

NURSYAMIMI DIYANA RODZI¹, AZNAN FAZLI ISMAIL^1,2,3,*, MUHAMMAD ABDULLAH RAHMAT¹, ELI SYAFIQAH AZIMAN¹ & WAN MOHD RAZI IDRIS^3,4 & TUKIMAT LIHAN⁴

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

²Nuclear Technology Research Centre, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

³Center for Water Research and Analysis, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

⁴Department of Earth Science and Environment, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia

Received: 10 November 2022/Accepted: 18 July 2023

Abstract

This study investigates the radiological hazard and heavy metal contamination of water effluents from Malaysian tin-tailing processing plants. Samples were collected from retention ponds in seven separate tin tailing processing plants scattered throughout the state of Perak, Malaysia. Samples were analysed for radioactivity and heavy metal concentration using Gamma-ray Spectrometry System and Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry, respectively. The analysis indicates that the concentration of Radium-226 (²²⁶Ra), Radium-228 (²²⁸Ra), and Potassium-40 (⁴⁰K) in samples ranged from 2.4 - 34.9 Bq/l, 0.8 - 14.7 Bq/l, and 19.5 - 299.4 Bq/l, respectively. These levels surpassed the control limits (5 Bq/l and 10 Bq/l for ²²⁶Ra and ²²⁸Ra) set by the regulatory authority. The analysis of the heavy metal contamination showed that the concentration of Arsenic (As) and Lead (Pb) werehigher than the Maximum Concentration Level (MCL) of 0.01 and 0.015 mg/L, respectively. Further evaluation of radiological impact showed that the average Annual Effective Doses (AED) by water ingestion and AED for external exposure are 1.43±0.67 mSv/y and 1.71±0.79 mSv/y, respectively. While for non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic risk assessments, the value of hazard index and lifetime cancer risk is 2.1×10-10 and 1.2×10-7, respectively. These research findings suggest that effective treatment of the effluent should be implemented before discharge into the drainage system to prevent the accumulation of radionuclides and heavy metals in the environment, which may pose a risk to public health.

Keywords: Excess lifetime cancer risk; heavy metal; natural radionuclide; radiological impact assessment; tin-tailing

Abstrak

Kajian ini bertujuan menentukan bahaya radiologi dan pelumusan logam berat daripada efluen kilang pemprosesan amang. Sampel telah diambil daripada kolam tadahan di tujuh kilang pemprosesan amang di sekitar negeri Perak, Malaysia. Keradioaktifan dan kepekatan logam berat dalam sampel dianalisis masing-masing menggunakan Sistem Spektrometri Sinar-Gama dan Spektrometri Jisim Plasma Gandingan Teraruh. Hasil analisis mendapati kepekatan Radium-226 (²²⁶Ra), Radium-228 (²²⁸Ra) dan Kalium-40 (⁴⁰K) dalam sampel masing-masing adalah antara 2.4 – 34.9 Bq/l, 0.8 – 14.7 Bq/l, dan 19.5 – 299.4 Bq/l. Nilai kepekatan ini didapati melepasi nilai had kawalan (5 Bq/l dan 10 Bq/l bagi ²²⁶Ra dan ²²⁸Ra) seperti yang ditetapkan oleh pihak berkuasa. Analisis terhadap pelumusan logam berat mendapati kepekatan Arsenik (As) dan Plumbum (Pb) adalah lebih tinggi daripada Tahap Kepekatan Maksimum (MCL) iaitu masing-masing 0.01 dan 0.015 mg/l. Penilaian impak radiologi selanjutnya mendapati bahawa purata Dos Berkesan Tahunan (AED)  berpunca daripada pengambilan air efluen dan dedahan luaran masing-masing ialah 1.43±0.67 mSv/tahun dan 1.71±0.79 mSv/tahun. Manakala bagi penilaian risiko bukan karsinogen dan karsinogen nilai pengiraan indeks risiko dan penilaian risiko kanser sepanjang hayat (LCR) masing-masing bernilai 2.1×10-10 dan 1.2×10-7. Hasil kajian ini mencadangkan rawatan berkesan terhadap efluen mesti dilakukan sebelum dibuang ke sistem perparitan bagi mengelakkan pengumpulan radionuklid dan logam berat di alam sekitar yang boleh menjejaskan kesihatan awam.

Kata kunci: Amang; logam berat; penilaian impak radiologi; risiko kanser sepanjang hayat; radionuklid tabii

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*Corresponding author; email: aznan@ukm.edu.my