Uranium mining activities produce the main element used in nuclear energy production. However, it can also negatively affect the environment including groundwater by release of residues or effluent containing radioactive elements. The study investigated the concentration and radiological hazard of uranium in groundwater and seepage water from the tailings of a uranium mine in Namibia. Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to assess the concentration of uranium in the groundwater and seepage water and the radiological hazards were determined. The radiological hazard indices Radium equivalent activity (Ra_eq), Absorbed dose (D), Annual Effective Dose equivalent (AEDE), External hazard index (Hex) and Internal hazard index (H_in) were determined and compared to limits recommended by UNSCEAR. The calculated average value of D and H_in of groundwater is 108.11nGyh⁻¹ and 1.26, respectively and are above the UNSCEAR values (55 nGyh⁻¹ and 1). Further, the average values of Ra_eq, AEDE and H_ex were below the recommended values. The isotopic ratio of uranium radionuclides in groundwater indicates that the uranium in the sampled groundwater is below 1 suggesting it is not natural uranium present but a possible contamination from the mine seepage. The radiological hazard parameters of the seepage water were above the recommended values and thus pose a radiation risk to human and environment.

铀矿开采活动产生了用于核能生产的主要元素。但是，它也会通过释放残留物或含有放射性元素的废水而对包括地下水在内的环境产生负面影响。该研究调查了纳米比亚铀矿尾矿中地下水和渗水中铀的浓度和放射性危害。电感耦合等离子体质谱法（ICP-MS）用于评估地下水和渗漏水中的铀浓度，并确定了放射性危害。放射危害指数放射性当量放射性（Ra _eq），吸收剂量（D），年度有​​效剂量当量（AEDE），外部危害指数（Hex）和内部危害指数（H _in），并与UNSCEAR建议的限值进行比较。地下水中D和H _in的计算平均值分别为108.11nGyh ^-1和1.26，并且高于UNSCEAR值（55 nGyh ^-1和1）。此外，Ra _eq，AEDE和H _ex的平均值低于推荐值。地下水中铀放射性核素的同位素比值表明，采样的地下水中的铀低于1，表明它不是天然铀存在，而是矿井渗漏的可能污染。渗漏水的放射危害参数高于建议值，因此对人类和环境构成辐射危险。