Journal article
Understanding the Radioactive Ingrowth and Decay of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials in the Environment: An Analysis of Produced Fluids from the Marcellus Shale
Environmental health perspectives, Vol.123(7), pp.689-696
07/2015
DOI: 10.1289/ehp.1408855
PMCID: PMC4492269
PMID: 25831257
Abstract
Abstract
Background
The economic value of unconventional natural gas resources has stimulated rapid globalization of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. However, natural radioactivity found in the large volumes of “produced fluids” generated by these technologies is emerging as an international environmental health concern. Current assessments of the radioactivity concentration in liquid wastes focus on a single element—radium. However, the use of radium alone to predict radioactivity concentrations can greatly underestimate total levels.
Objective
We investigated the contribution to radioactivity concentrations from naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM), including uranium, thorium, actinium, radium, lead, bismuth, and polonium isotopes, to the total radioactivity of hydraulic fracturing wastes.
Methods
For this study we used established methods and developed new methods designed to quantitate NORM of public health concern that may be enriched in complex brines from hydraulic fracturing wastes. Specifically, we examined the use of high-purity germanium gamma spectrometry and isotope dilution alpha spectrometry to quantitate NORM.
Results
We observed that radium decay products were initially absent from produced fluids due to differences in solubility. However, in systems closed to the release of gaseous radon, our model predicted that decay products will begin to ingrow immediately and (under these closed-system conditions) can contribute to an increase in the total radioactivity for more than 100 years.
Conclusions
Accurate predictions of radioactivity concentrations are critical for estimating doses to potentially exposed individuals and the surrounding environment. These predictions must include an understanding of the geochemistry, decay properties, and ingrowth kinetics of radium and its decay product radionuclides.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Understanding the Radioactive Ingrowth and Decay of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials in the Environment: An Analysis of Produced Fluids from the Marcellus Shale
- Creators
- Andrew W Nelson - Interdisciplinary Human Toxicology Program, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA, University of Iowa State Hygienic Laboratory, Research Park, Coralville, Iowa, USAEric S Eitrheim - Department of Chemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USAAndrew W Knight - Department of Chemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USADustin May - University of Iowa State Hygienic Laboratory, Research Park, Coralville, Iowa, USAMarinea A Mehrhoff - University of Iowa State Hygienic Laboratory, Research Park, Coralville, Iowa, USARobert Shannon - Quality Radioanalytical Support, Grand Marais, Minnesota, USARobert Litman - Radiochemistry Laboratory Basics, The Villages, Florida, USAWilliam C Burnett - Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USATori Z Forbes - Department of Chemistry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USAMichael K Schultz - Interdisciplinary Human Toxicology Program, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA, Department of Radiology, and, Department of Radiation Oncology, Free Radical and Radiation Biology Program, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Environmental health perspectives, Vol.123(7), pp.689-696
- DOI
- 10.1289/ehp.1408855
- PMID
- 25831257
- PMCID
- PMC4492269
- ISSN
- 0091-6765
- eISSN
- 1552-9924
- Language
- English
- Date published
- 07/2015
- Academic Unit
- Radiology; Civil and Environmental Engineering; Stead Family Department of Pediatrics; Core Research Facilities; Radiation Oncology; Chemistry
- Record Identifier
- 9984217460002771
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