Uranium Mobility in Soils Contaminated with Depleted Uranium

Mirjana Radenković1, Dragana Djordjević2, Jasminka Joksić1, Svetlana Djogo3, Petar Pfendt2, 3, and Jagoš Raičević1

1 Institute of Nuclear Sciences “Vinča”, Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro
2 IChTM-Center of Chemistry, Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro
3 Faculty of Chemistry, University of Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro

Corresponding author: Mirjana Radenković
    P.O. Box 522
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    E-mail: mirar@vin.bg.ac.yu

CEJOEM 2003, Vol.9. No.4.: 327–331

Key words:
Environmental radioactivity, depleted uranium, sequential extraction, contamination, soil and bioavailability

Abstract:
During the war conflict on the territory of the former Yugoslavia, depleted uranium (DU) ammunition was used in several districts of Bosnia, Serbia, and Montenegro. We investigated the mobility of uranium in soil samples taken at the ‘hot spots’ of contaminated sites. After a five-step sequential extraction procedure, according to modified Tessier’s method, the mobile and stable biogeochemical uranium fractions were detected. Total uranium concentrations in the fractions were determined by fluorescence absorption. The substrates of uranium in soil is discussed on the basis of macrometal concentrations determined in the extracts by atomic absorption spectroscopy, flame technique. The isotopic analysis and confirmation of the presence of DU in the samples was performed by alpha spectrometry. The obtained results showed high ratio of DU in the first phases of sequential extraction, where the exchangeable phases and the carbonate and mangan oxide phases were extracted. It indicates the risk of ground water contamination and further transport of uranium in the environment. This fact and the local geochemical soil characteristics should be considered when assessing uranium bioavailability in contaminated areas, especially near the non-fragmented penetrators in the surface soil.

Received: 15 August 2003
Accepted: 9 October 2003
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