INGESTION AND INHALATION DOSES DUE TO INTAKE OF RADON IN DRINKING WATER SAMPLES OF AMRITSAR PROVINCE, PUNJAB, INDIA

Radon concentration measurement and effective dose assessment in drinking groundwater for the adult population in the surrounding area of a thermal power plant

Radon in the household water collected from hand pumps is measured using a continuous radon monitor. Water samples are collected from 25 villages from the surrounding regions of the National Capital Power Cooperation (NTPC), Dadri. The radon concentration ranges from 17±1 to 68±3 Bql^-1 with a mean value of 33±13 Bql^-1. The measured radon concentration in all collected samples lies well within the limit of 100 Bql^-1as set by the World Health Organization (WHO). The mean values of the annual effective dose due to ingestion of radon and due to the inhalation of radon released from water are 84±33 and 167±65 μSvy^-1, respectively. In addition, the mean values of estimated total annual effective doses are found to be 167±65 μSvy^-1. The mean value of total annual effective doses is found to be higher than the reference dose level of 100 μSvy^-1 recommended by the WHO and the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effect of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR). The mean values of effective doses per annum to the lungs and stomach are 9.9±3.9 and 10.1±3.9 μSv, respectively.

Assessment of radiation dose hazards caused by radon and its progenies in tap water by the human dosimetric model

Radon is readily soluble in water, and radon exposure caused by household water consumption may pose a threat to public health. In this study, the radon concentration in the tap water of residential buildings was measured, and the average value was 543.33 mBq L^-1, which was in line with the radon concentration limit recommended by USEPA (11.11 Bq L^-1) and EURATOM (100 Bq L^-1), and also within the range of the results of radon concentration measurements in tap water in other countries or regions. Through water bath heating at different temperatures, the radon retention curves of multiple groups of samples at different temperatures were fitted and analyzed. The results showed that the radon retention continued to decrease between 25 and 70 °C, remained stable between 70 and 85 °C, and then continued to decline slowly. Combined with the measurement results, the effective doses of α- and β-particles emitted by ²²²Rn and its progenies to residents respiratory and alimentary tissues and organs were calculated using the computational model provided by ICRP under two typical water scenarios of shower and drinking water, and the results show that radon exposure caused by normal water consumption will not pose a serious threat to public health.

Determination of radioactivity level of water supply network in Trabzon province, Turkey

In the present study, the radioactivity levels of water samples collected from the main water supply network in Trabzon province and districts and soil samples taken from the vicinity of the water network were measured. An Alphaguard-PQ2000 radon gas detector was used to determine the seasonal radon gas level in the water samples. An HPGe detector was used to determine the level of radioactivity in soil and water samples. The average concentration of ²²²Rn in drinking water ranges from 0.56 ± 0.51 to 13.3 ± 5 Bq L^-1. In water samples, average gross alpha and gross beta values were measured as 8 ± 1 and 43 ± 1 mBq L^-1, respectively. The average concentrations of ²³⁸U, ²³²Th, ¹³⁷Cs, ⁴⁰K radionuclides in soil were measured as 51 ± 2, 21 ± 2, 16 ± 1, 28 ± 7 Bq m^-3, respectively. The average concentrations of ²³⁸U, ²³²Th, ¹³⁷Cs, ⁴⁰K radionuclides in drinking water were measured as 147 ± 5, 25 ± 2, 77 ± 2, 12 ± 2 mBq L^-1, respectively. When the radon concentrations for drinking water were examined, it was found that the radon concentration of the three samples was above the limit value (11 Bq L^-1) allowed by the US-EPA for drinking water. All other results are below the limit values.