Risk assessment (chemical and radiological) due to intake of uranium through the ingestion of drinking water around two proposed uranium mining areas, Jharkhand, India

Uranium is known for both chemical and radiological toxicity. East Singhbhum is known for uranium mining, and radionuclides can be expected in its groundwater. Groundwater was collected around two proposed sites of Bagjata and Banduhurang and analysed for U(nat). The study reveals that the U(nat) varied from <0.5-11.2 and <0.5-27.5 mu g.L-1 for the Bagjata and Banduhurang mining areas, respectively. The excess lifetime cancer risk due to the consumption of uranium in water was calculated to be in the range of 8.81 x 10(-6) to 4.34 x 10(-5) and 3.36 x 10(-6) to 9.55 x 10(-5) for the two study areas, which are within the acceptable cancer risk value of 1 x 10(-4). However, the risk at a few locations is very close to the threshold value. The chemical risk evaluated by the hazard quotient was found to be within 0.05-0.23 and 0.02-0.6 for the two study areas and did not exceed the limit of 1. Thus, the concentration of U(nat) in the groundwater presently does not pose any serious threat to local people but must be monitored periodically and adequate actions must be taken in the few areas with elevated levels of uranium in the groundwater.