Bhubaneswar: A new scientific study found the presence of radioactive thorium and rare earth elements in the monazite-bearing beach sands along Odisha’s Ganjam–Puri coast. The study, titled “Spatial variability and multivariate analysis of natural radioactivity in monazite-bearing coastal soils of Odisha, India,” was published in Scientific Reports, a Nature portfolio journal, on Sept 29.D Vidya Sagar, a former BARC scientist who is one of the authors of the study, said Odisha’s monazite-bearing beach sands contain thorium and rare earth elements with potential relevance to future energy systems and advanced technologies. “The findings provide a scientific basis for further investigation and responsible resource management,” he said.Slightly elevated natural background radioactivity was observed at selected locations, associated with monazite and other heavy minerals in the beach sands. Scientists examined 72 soil samples from 24 locations along the Ganjam-Puri coast between Oct and Dec 2025. They found that natural radioactive minerals were unevenly distributed across the coastline, but the overall pattern was similar in both districts.Monazite contains thorium, which has potential applications in advanced nuclear energy systems, and rare earth elements used in electronics, electric vehicles, wind turbines, defence equipment and other high-technology products. These resources give Odisha’s coastal sands strategic significance.The study notes that the Odisha coast receives heavy-mineral inputs from the Eastern Ghats Mobile Belt, a geological formation rich in uranium, thorium and rare earth-bearing minerals. Through weathering, river transport and coastal processes such as wave action, tidal currents and longshore drift, these minerals become concentrated in specific stretches of the shoreline, particularly in the Chatrapur–Gopalpur belt.Thorium was the main source of natural radiation found in the beach sand, contributing about 65% of it. Uranium contributed about 29%, while potassium contributed about 6%. The study identified the Ganjam–Puri coast as a high background natural radiation area, comparable to similar monazite-rich coastal belts in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and several countries abroad. However, researchers stressed that the elevated radioactivity is naturally occurring and linked it to the area’s geology rather than any anthropogenic source.The findings provide useful baseline information on the natural radiological characteristics of the Ganjam–Puri coast. They support environmental monitoring, further scientific investigation and responsible assessment of coastal mineral resources.Natural background radiation varies with geological and mineral composition. Comparisons with national or global averages provide scientific context and should not, by themselves, be interpreted as evidence of contamination or a health hazard, the researchers noted. The study adds to knowledge of Odisha’s valuable beach sand resources and supports their informed assessment and sustainable management.A govt officer said the study neither establishes radioactive contamination from an industrial source nor demonstrates increased health effects among the local population.Bedangdas Mohanty, a NISER physicist working in experimental high-energy nuclear physics, said the new measurements are broadly consistent with earlier studies. “The study is useful primarily as an updated mapping and characterization of the natural radiation environment of the Odisha coast.”
