# An Assessment of the Impact of Gypsum Deposit Development on Changes in the Radiation Environment
## 4 Conclusions  
The objective of the conducted research was to assess the impact of gypsum deposit development on changes in the radiation levels of the abiotic components of the environment. It was found that U concentrations in ground and surface waters did not exceed 2 \(\mu\)g L\({}^{-1}\). In quarry waters, its concentration reached 8.5 \(\mu\)g L\({}^{-1}\), and the total alpha activity exceeded the MAC for drinking water (0.2 Bq L\({}^{-1}\)). The most probable source of high U content may be overburden rocks stored in dumps. During weathering, uranium scrbed by iron hydroxides and organic matter is removed from them. Relatively low ratios of uranium isotope activities in quarry waters are due to the crushing of rocks during mining \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c} \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**ID**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Location**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Lithological Composition**} \\ \cline{2-6}  & **N** & **E** & **Height m.a.s.l.** & **RFD** & **Natural Conditions** & **Quary Area** \\ \hline R-1 & 64.10660 & 42.64184 & 71.2 & \(100\pm 30\) & Soil and loam \\ R-2 & 64.10746 & 42.64286 & 71.5 & \(181\pm 54\) & Soil and loam \\ R-3 & 64.10852 & 42.64508 & 75.0 & \(89\pm 26\) & Soil, loam and sand \\ R-4 & 64.11017 & 42.64747 & 75.0 & \(20\pm 6\) & \\ R-5 & 64.11200 & 42.64834 & 69.2 & \(25\pm 5\) & A mixture of sandy-clexy \\ R-6 & 64.11373 & 42.64879 & 71.3 & \(22\pm 6\) & deposits of Quaternary age \\ R-7 & 64.11549 & 42.64790 & 59.8 & \(20\pm 6\) & with fragments of gypsum \\ R-8 & 64.11712 & 42.64643 & 61.6 & \(27\pm 8\) & rocks in waste rock dumps \\ R-9 & 64.11895 & 42.64646 & 53.7 & \(61\pm 18\) & \\ R-10 & 64.12066 & 42.64514 & 62.5 & \(18\pm 5\) & Cypsum, sand and loam \\ R-11 & 64.12237 & 42.64329 & 54.3 & \(6\pm 1\) & Cypsum and loam \\ R-12 & 64.12383 & 42.642626 & 63.3 & \(10\pm 3\) & Cypsum and clay \\ R-13 & 64.12585 & 42.64069 & 67.5 & \(159\pm 47\) & Soil and clay \\ R-14 & 64.12752 & 42.64116 & 65.7 & \(92\pm 28\) & Soil, loam and sand \\ \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 6: Results of radon flux density measurement, mBq (m\({}^{2}\)s)\({}^{-1}\). operations, which increases the rate of their dissolution and the transition of both isotopes into water in an equilibrium ratio. In bottom sediments, the maximum activity concentrations of \({}^{137}\)Cs, \({}^{238}\)U, \({}^{234}\)U and \({}^{226}\)Ra were found in lakes with the maximum contents of CO\({}_{3}\)\({}^{2-}\), OM and SS, as well as dusty and fine-grained particles. Uranium concentrations reached 6.8 mg kg\({}^{-1}\). The maximum activities of \({}^{232}\)Th were determined in samples for which no features in the distribution of physical and chemical parameters were revealed. In general, the average values of \({}^{226}\)Ra, \({}^{232}\)Th and \({}^{40}\)K were 18.0, 9.6 and 320 Bq kg\({}^{-1}\), respectively, which are below the world averages. Significant correlations of \({}^{137}\)Cs, \({}^{238}\)U and \({}^{234}\)U activities with CO\({}_{3}\)\({}^{2-}\), OM and SS contents, as well as Fe, Zn, Cu, Cr, Pb, Ni, Mo, Cd, Co, Ti and V, indicate a significant role of the anthropogenic factor in their accumulation in bottom sediments. This factor is associated with both regional atmospheric transport (\({}^{137}\)Cs) and the activity of the mining enterprise in the study area (\({}^{238}\)U and \({}^{234}\)U). The isotopes \({}^{232}\)Th and \({}^{40}\)K are weakly correlated with each other. The correlation of \({}^{232}\)Th and potassium is approximately of the same order. In addition, a relationship is observed between \({}^{40}\)K and the content of dusty particles. This may reflect the lithogenic nature of these isotopes and indicate their transport and sedimentation mainly in mechanical suspensions. Radium-226 is a consequence of the radioactive decay of uranium isotopes, but its relationship with uranium isotopes and chemical elements that correlate with uranium is weak. This is explained by the low migration capacity of radium compared with uranium in the sulfate-rich environment of gypsum deposits.