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© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
D. K. Gupta, C. Walther (eds.), Uranium in Plants and the Environment,
Radionuclides and Heavy Metals in the Environment,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14961-1_3
Environmental and Health Impact
Due to Uranium Mining
Rajiv Ranjan Srivastava, Pankaj Pathak, and Mosarrat Perween
Abstract Uranium is a debatable clean source of energy all over the world. The
mining of uranium is controversial mainly because of its associated impacts on
environment and human health. The conventional way of exploiting the rock-ores
either from the surface mining or, heap leaching or, underground mining, aiming the
maximum production to fulfil the soaring demand, has posed the significant environmental, economic and social risks. In this context, the technological advancement in mining practices could significantly reduce some impacts compared to the
early strategic period, but certainly yet to be considered as the sustainable one. The
inevitable water-intensive extraction process is a serious concern along with the
handling of mine tailings, which contain thorium, radium, uranium and polonium
and emit radon. Therefore, with emphasis on the direct and indirect impacts of uranium mining and associated environmental and health impacts, some cases have
also been discussed in the present chapter.
Keywords Uranium · Mining legacy · Environmental hazards · Human health ·
Mine tailings · Radiotoxic wastes
R. R. Srivastava
Department of Environmental Technology Institute Research & Development Duy Tan
University, Da Nang, Da Nang, Vietnam
P. Pathak (*)
Department of Environmental Science & Engineering, Marwadi University, Marwadi
Education Foundation, Rajkot, Gujarat, India
M. Perween
Department of Chemistry, Dolat-Usha Institute of Applied Sciences and Dhiru-Sarla Institute
of Management and Commerce, Valsad, Gujarat, India
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
D. K. Gupta, C. Walther (eds.), Uranium in Plants and the Environment,
Radionuclides and Heavy Metals in the Environment,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-14961-1_3
Environmental and Health Impact
Due to Uranium Mining
Rajiv Ranjan Srivastava, Pankaj Pathak, and Mosarrat Perween
Abstract Uranium is a debatable clean source of energy all over the world. The
mining of uranium is controversial mainly because of its associated impacts on
environment and human health. The conventional way of exploiting the rock-ores
either from the surface mining or, heap leaching or, underground mining, aiming the
maximum production to fulfil the soaring demand, has posed the significant environmental, economic and social risks. In this context, the technological advancement in mining practices could significantly reduce some impacts compared to the
early strategic period, but certainly yet to be considered as the sustainable one. The
inevitable water-intensive extraction process is a serious concern along with the
handling of mine tailings, which contain thorium, radium, uranium and polonium
and emit radon. Therefore, with emphasis on the direct and indirect impacts of uranium mining and associated environmental and health impacts, some cases have
also been discussed in the present chapter.
Keywords Uranium · Mining legacy · Environmental hazards · Human health ·
Mine tailings · Radiotoxic wastes
R. R. Srivastava
Department of Environmental Technology Institute Research & Development Duy Tan
University, Da Nang, Da Nang, Vietnam
P. Pathak (*)
Department of Environmental Science & Engineering, Marwadi University, Marwadi
Education Foundation, Rajkot, Gujarat, India
M. Perween
Department of Chemistry, Dolat-Usha Institute of Applied Sciences and Dhiru-Sarla Institute
of Management and Commerce, Valsad, Gujarat, India