Study of 222Rn concentrations in drinking water in the north-eastern hydroregions of Poland

RADON IN DRINKING WATER FROM ALTERNATIVE SOURCES OF WATER SUPPLY IN THE NORTH OF KOSOVO

In this study, the results of research on radon activity concentrations in natural mineral waters, traditionally used for drinking but also for other needs, in rural and urban households in northern Kosovo are presented. Radon activity concentration in water was measured by the alpha spectrometric method with a RAD7 device. Radon activity concentrations in the 24 waters studied ranged from 1.6 ± 0.5 to 46.3 ± 6.3 Bq l-1, with an average activity concentration of 12.4 ± 2.0 Bq l-1, which was somewhat higher than the EPA recommended maximum activity concentration, but below the WHO recommended maximum. The contribution of radon activity concentrations in water was determined in relation to the total radon activity in air and enclosed space. The estimated annual effective doses of inhalation and ingestion radon from water were 109.4 ± 16.7 and 2.6 ± 0.4 μSv y-1, respectively.

Investigation of Radon Sources, Health Hazard and Risks assessment for children using analytical and geospatial techniques in District Bannu (Pakistan)

PURPOSE

Radon (Rn) is a radioactive, odorless, and colorless gas which has a half-life of 3.83 days. One of the main sources of Rn which is directly consumed by the population is Groundwater (Tube well, Bore well, Hand pump). Rn gas is found naturally in rock, soil and water and can be considered as main health risk factor in terms of lung cancer, stomach diseases, leukemia and childhood cancer. The objective of this study was to determine the concentration of Rn in the drinking water sources, appraisal of health risk for children in District Bannu, Pakistan.

MATERIAL AND METHOD

Total of 98 drinking water samples were analyzed by using RAD-7 detector. The experimental data was statistically analyzed by using Pearson's test. The experimental and epidemiological data of the study area are shown on map using ArcGIS version 10.5.

RESULTS

The analytical results show that Rn in drinking water was found varying from 10.1 Bq/l to 53.1 Bq/l with the average highest and lowest depth of 60 ft to 550 ft respectively. Pearson's test was used to show the concentration of Rn verses the depth of the water sources so +1 positive linear correlation was observed among the depth of water sources and the concentration of Rn. Out of 98 drinking water samples 40 sample were above the maximum contaminant level of 11.1 Bq/l (MCL) set by WHO, 2002. The effective doses (AED and DE_ing) for children ranges from 0.00001 to 3.792 mSv/y which exceeds the Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) of Rn (0.1mSv/y) in 30 drinking water samples . On the basis of analytical results Rn high concentration areas are shown on the map using IDW model of interpolation and health risks were shown in areas where Rn content was above the maximum contaminant level. High correlations of diseases related to Rn were observed amongst the residence of the study area. Gastrointestinal diseases, brain tumor, lung cancer and kidney diseases were observed among the children of the study area.

CONCLUSION

From the overall analysis it was observed that high Rn concentration in drinking water may cause substantial health damage in children after long term exposure.

222Rn and 226Ra activity concentrations in groundwaters of southern Poland: new data and selected genetic relations

Since 2008, the authors have been conducting research into ²²²Rn and ²²⁶Ra activity concentrations in shallow circulation groundwaters in southern Poland. Measurements have been performed with a liquid-scintillation method and ultra low-level liquid-scintillation spectrometers α/β Quantulus 1220. The research carried out so far has demonstrated that in the Sudetes groundwaters with high activity concentrations of ²²²Rn and ²²⁶Ra are common. In other studied areas in southern Poland no shallow circulation groundwaters with high radon or radium concentrations have been found yet. The conducted research has demonstrated that the activity concentration of ²²²Rn dissolved in shallow circulation groundwaters in the Sudetes depends chiefly on the amount of radon, which after being released as gas from reservoir rocks is dissolved in waters flowing through these rocks. At the same time, the concentration of ²²²Rn dissolved in some shallow circulation groundwaters in the Carpathians is influenced significantly by the amount of radon produced from the decay of its parent ion ²²⁶Ra²⁺ dissolved in these waters.

Effects of tetrachloroethene on the measurement of radon in water with liquid scintillation counting method

This study investigated the effects of tetrachloroethene (PCE) on radon measurements that employed the liquid scintillation counting (LSC) method referring to 7500-Rn B of Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater. Laboratory-produced radon-enriched water was used to compare the counting rates of the radon water with and without PCE addition, and groundwater samples from a site contaminated by chlorinated solvents were used to investigate the application of the laboratory experiments. The results showed that the major factor reducing counting efficiency was resulted from the interaction between PCE and a cocktail through the quench effect. The counting rate showed an exponentially decreasing trend when PCE addition was increased. The results indicated that a small addition of PCE reduced the counting rate considerably. An alternative energy channel 500-1000 to the optimal channel was suggested to attenuate the quench effect on radon measurement. The quench effect was also observed on samples from a site contaminated by chlorinated solvents. The concepts and procedures presented in this study are a reference for future research on the topic of chlorinated solvents or other quench chemicals involving in radon measurement.

Radon in well waters in the Kraków area

The method and the results of radon concentration measurements in water samples are presented. Since May 2000, measurements of radon concentration in well waters in the Kraków area have been carried out--both in urban wells (depth above 50 meters) and in other private wells (depth of several meters). The ionisation chamber AlphaGUARD PQ 2000PRO along with the additional special equipment AquaKIT were used for determination of radon concentration in water samples. A total of 45 wells were examined for radon concentration in water--19 urban wells, 21 private ones (from Nowa Huta, Ojcowska, Wola Justowska area--parts of Kraków) and 5 mineral water sources. Wola Justowska is a region where tectonics faults occur and radon can easily migrate from deep basement structure. All the obtained values of radon concentration are below 12 Bq/l. These preliminary results do not show a direct correlation between geological structure and radon concentration in water samples. However, further investigation is needed and is planned to be undertaken.

Radon concentrations in groundwaters of the Polish part of the Sudety Mountains (SW Poland)

In the course of researches into radon occurrence in the groundwaters of the Polish part of the Sudety Mountains, conducted in various research centres in Poland, almost 1000 radon concentration determinations have been collected. These results have given the basis for an attempt to characterise the groundwaters of this region with respect to radon content. Radon concentrations oscillated within the range of 0.2-1645 Bq/dm3, with the arithmetic mean at 240.0 Bq/dm3 and the geometric mean at 106.7 Bq/dm3. The largest number of radon concentrations found in the Sudetic groundwaters ranged between ca. 3-6 and 1000 Bq/dm3. The values over 1000 Bq/dm3 can be considered anomalously high. They constitute 3.9% of all the results and occur around six localities within different geological units of the Sudety Mountains. These are shallow circulation, low mineralised groundwaters, which outflow from gneisses and granites. In the face of the fact that from 12.8% to 72.7% (depending on the adopted norm of maximum radon concentration for drinking waters) of the examined waters cannot be drunk directly without removing at least part of the radon, and in the face of the possibility of recognizing as many as 63.5% of the waters as potentially medicinal, extensive research of radon geochemistry in the Sudety Mountains area should be urgently undertaken.