Radioecology in the vicinity of prospected uranium mining sites in a subarctic environment

Abstract A radioecological investigation has been carried out in two uranium-rich areas in northern Sweden. Aquatic, terrestrial and atmospheric samples have been analysed, mainly for radionuclides in the uranium series. In one of the areas, about ten times higher concentrations of uranium, thorium and radium were found in lichen close to the mineralization, due to aerial dispersion. In the aquatic system, no signs of enhanced levels were observed. For the short-lived radon daughters in air, there was no correlation between concentrations and distance from mineralization, as a result of the high natural background.