A paper resulting from an international joint research project with Astana Medical University in Kazakhstan was published in the journal Environments (published by MDPI) in March 2026, and it was selected as an “Editor’s Choice.” The editor-in-chief of the journal selects papers published within the last three months that are deemed particularly interesting to readers and significant to the field of environmental science. Out of 177 published papers, ten were chosen for this honor, and our paper was among them.
Professor Masahiro Hosoda of the Graduate School of Health Sciences (who is served as a corresponding author of the paper) and Associate Professor Yasutaka Omori of the IREM participate in the international joint research project. The study investigated the concentrations of natural radionuclides in groundwater used for drinking in Saumalkol settlement (North Kazakhstan province), located adjacent to a former uranium mine site. While previous studies had already confirmed contamination of indoor air and drinking water by uranium-series elements (such as radon), this study revealed contamination by thorium-series elements at levels exceeding national permissible levels. These findings emphasize the need for countermeasures against radioactive contamination in Saumalkol settlement and imply that the causes of contamination are diverse, making the implementation of solutions complex.

Ibrayeva, D., Kairullova, M., Hosoda, M., Omori, Y., Kashkinbayev, Y., Ilbekova, K., Bagramova, A., Shokabayeva, A., & Bakhtin, M. (2026). Groundwater Radionuclide Contamination in the Saumalkol Settlement Located near Decommissioned Uranium Mining Sites. Environments, 13(3), 161.

Link to the paper: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3298/13/3/161

Link to the editor’s choice:https://www.mdpi.com/journal/environments/editors_choice