Environmental geochemistry of higher radioactivity in a transboundary Himalayan river sediment (Brahmaputra, Bangladesh): potential radiation exposure and health risks

This study of a downstream segment (Brahmaputra, Bangladesh) of one of the longest transboundary (China-India-Bangladesh) Himalayan rivers reveals elevated radioactivity compared to other freshwater basins across the world. Naturally occurring radioactive nuclides ( 226 Ra, 232 Th, and 40 K) and metal contents (transition metals, Fe, Ti, Sc, and V; rare earth elements, La, Ce, Eu, Sm, Dy, Yb, and Lu; high field strength elements, Ta and Hf; and actinides, Th and U) in thirty sediment samples were measured by HPGe γ-spectrophotometry and research reactor-based neutron activation analysis, respectively. We systematically investigated the mechanism of the deposition of higher radioactivity concentrations and rare earth elements (REEs) associated with heavy minerals (HMs) and photomicrograph-based mineralogical analysis. The results show that total REEs (∑REE) and Ta, Hf, U, and Th are generally 1.5- to 3.0-fold elevated compared to crustal values associated with -δEu and -δCe anomalies, suggesting a felsic source provenance. The enrichment of light REEs (×1.5 upper continental crust (UCC)) and Th (×1.9 UCC), besides Th/U (=7.74 ± 2.35) and 232 Th/ 40 K ratios, along with the micrographic and statistical approaches, revealed the elevated presence of HMs. Fluvial suspended sedimentary transportation (from upstream) followed by mineralogical recycling and sorting enriched the HM depositions in this basin. Bivariate plots, including La/Th-Hf, La/Th-Th/Yb, and La/V-Th/Yb, revealed significant contributions of felsic source rock compared to mafic sources. The assessment of radiological hazards demonstrates ionizing-radiation-associated health risks to the local residents and people inhabiting houses made from Brahmaputra River sediments (as construction material).