title: Environmental impact of phosphogypsum stockpile in remediated Schistos waste site (Piraeus, Greece) using a combination of γ-ray spectrometry with geographic information systems.
abstract: From 1979 to 1989, ten million tons of phosphogypsum, a waste by-product of the Greek phosphate fertilizer industry, was disposed into an abandoned limestone quarry in Schistos former waste site, Piraeus (Greece). The quarry has been recently closed and remediated using geomembranes and thick soil cover with vegetation. A part of the deposited phosphogypsum has been exposed due to intense rainfall episodes leading to concerns about how could potentially released radioactivity affect the surrounding environment. This study seeks to assess the environmental impact of the phosphogypsum deposited in the Schistos quarry, using laboratory-based γ-ray spectrometry measurements and geographical information systems. Radioactivity concentrations were mapped onto spatial-data to yield a spatial-distribution of radioactivity in the area. The data indicate elevated (226)Ra concentrations in a specific area on the steep south-eastern cliff of the remediated waste site that comprises uncovered phosphogypsum and is known to be affected by local weather conditions. (226)Ra concentrations range from 162 to 629 Bq/kg, with an average activity being on the low side, compared to the global averages for phosphogypsum. Nevertheless, the low environmental risk may be minimized by remediating this area with geomembranes and thick soil cover with vegetation, a technique, which has worked successfully over the remainder of the remediated quarry.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Zografou Campus, GR-15784, Athens, Greece. fpapag@geol.uoa.gr.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Papageorgiou
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Zografou Campus, GR-15784, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Godelitsas
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Physics, Department of Nuclear and Particle Physics, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Zografou Campus, GR-15784, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Mertzimekis
authors.affiliation: Department of Automation Engineering, Alexander Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki, GR-57400, Thessaloniki, Macedonia, Greece.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xanthos
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Zografou Campus, GR-15784, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Voulgaris
authors.affiliation: Environmental Association of Athens-Piraeus Municipalities, Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Katsantonis
mesh_terms: D002133:Calcium Sulfate; D004777:Environment; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D052918:Environmental Restoration and Remediation; D005308:Fertilizers / Q000032:analysis; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D006115:Greece; D010710:Phosphates / Q000032:analysis; D010758:Phosphorus; D013051:Spectrometry, Gamma
chemical_list: D005308:Fertilizers; D010710:Phosphates; C077769:phosphogypsum; D010758:Phosphorus; D002133:Calcium Sulfate
keywords: GIS; Greece; Phosphogypsum; Radioactivity; Radium; γ-ray spectrometry
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