Radon in Surface and Ground Waters of the Elkon Uranium Region in Southern Yakutiya

Abstract

The results of a study of the radon concentration in surface and ground waters on the territory of the preserved uranium deposits in South Yakutiya are reported. The work included the collection of water samples from wells, adits, springs, streams, and rivers into special chambers with the time being recorded and determining the radon content in them with the aid of an Alfarad Plus radiometer. The obtained data were used as a basis for comparing the radon content in the studied waters with its sanitary-hygienic norm in drinking water. It is shown that the source of the high radon concentration in surface and groundwater are massifs of Archean crystalline rock, ore zones, and rock heaps with high uranium (radium) content.