Comparative Study of Radon Concentration with Two Techniques and Elemental Analysis in Drinking Water Samples of the Jammu District, Jammu and Kashmir, India

Abstract

The level of radon concentration has been assessed using the Advanced SMART RnDuo technique in 30 drinking water samples from Jammu district, Jammu and Kashmir, India. The water samples were collected from wells, hand pumps, submersible pumps, and stored waters. The randomly obtained 14 values of radon concentration in water sources using the SMART RnDuo technique have been compared and cross checked by a RAD7 device. A good positive correlation (R = 0.88) has been observed between the two techniques. The overall value of radon concentration in various water sources has ranged from 2.45 to 18.43 Bq L, with a mean value of 8.24 ± 4.04 Bq L, and it agreed well with the recommended limit suggested by the European Commission and UNSCEAR. However, the higher activity of mean radon concentration was found in groundwater drawn from well, hand and submersible pumps as compared to stored water. The total annual effective dose due to radon inhalation and ingestion ranged from 6.69 to 50.31 μSv y with a mean value of 22.48 ± 11.03 μSv y. The total annual effective dose was found to lie within the safe limit (100 μSv y) suggested by WHO. Heavy metal analysis was also carried out in various water sources by using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS), and the highest value of heavy metals was found mostly in groundwater samples. The obtained results were compared with Indian and International organizations like WHO and the EU Council. Among all the samples, the elemental analysis is not on the exceeding side of the permissible limit.

Health Risk Assessment of Some Heavy Metals in Groundwater Samples in Rada'a City, Yemen

“…High molecular weight substances are elements with an atomic mass greater than 20, have metallic properties, and a density greater than 5 g/cm 3 , so they are at least five times denser than water (1 g/cm 3 ), cannot be metabolized by the body, and are stable and bioaccumulative [6,7,8]. High molecular weight metals such as copper and zinc are essential elements for the normal growth and function of living organisms, while high concentrations of other metals such as cadmium, lead, chromium, arsenic, and manganese are highly toxic to humans and aquatic life [9,10]. These metals are not degradable and are stored in the human body, including fatty and nervous tissues.…”

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

“…Various studies have been performed in different parts of India to measure the radon concentration in groundwater used for drinking purposes. In various states of India, the concentration of radon dissolved in groundwater ranged as follows: 0.87-6.73 Bql À1 in Himachal Pradesh (Singh et al 2016), 0.4-74.37 Bql À1 in Jammu and Kashmir (Kumar et al 2017a(Kumar et al , 2017b(Kumar et al , 2018Kaur et al 2019), 0.14-35 Bql À1 in Punjab (Kaur et al 2017;Kumar et al 2017cKumar et al , 2019Sharma et al 2019Sharma et al , 2020Pant et al 2020), 0.60-57.35 Bql À1 in Haryana (Duggal et al 2017(Duggal et al , 2018Panghal et al 2017;Sharma et al 2017aSharma et al , 2017bSingh et al 2019), 0.50-861.5 Bql À1 in Rajasthan (Mittal et al 2016a(Mittal et al , 2016bDuggal et al 2020aDuggal et al , 2020b, 0.19-160.18 Bql À1 in Karnataka (Srinivasa et al 2015(Srinivasa et al , 2018(Srinivasa et al , 2019Rangaswamy et al 2016;Niranjan et al 2017;Reddy et al 2017;Shilpa et al 2017;Kaliprasad & Narayana 2018;Sannappa et al 2020;Yashaswini et al 2020) Coal-fired power plants are the sources of fly ash, which contains naturally occurring radioactive elements such as 238 U, 232 Th, and their decay products and other toxic elements. Fly ash is generally stored at coal power plants or placed in landfills.…”