Abstract

The article presents an overview of the characteristics of mineralization, exploration operation of radioactive element - containing REE deposits in the North and South Nậm Xe. The authors have introduced methods to compute the increased doses triggered by exploration activities at the North and the South Nậm Xe REE Mines based on comparision of the pre-exploration radiation dose (Local natural radiation dose) to the post-exploration radiation dose. Due to the exploration operation, the radiation dose at the North Nậm Xe Mine was increased upto 3.29 mSv/year, while that at the South Nậm Xe Mine is as high as 2.63 mSv/year. These values exceed the allowed safety standards for people. Therefore, the authors recommended the interventions in order to reduce the increase in radiation dose, minimizing the harmful effects of radioactive contamination to the environment and the human health living in theSouth, North Nậm Xe Mines, where have been explored and will be exploited and processed in the future.