The natural and artificial radionuclides in drinking water samples and consequent population doses

Abstract

Ra 40 K 137 Cs a b s t r a c t Concentration levels of 226 Ra, 228 Ra, 40 K and 137 Cs were determined in 52 drinking water samples collected from the different supplies in Samsun province to evaluate annual effective dose due to the ingestion of the drinking water samples. The activity concentrations of 226 Ra, 228 Ra and 40 K natural radionuclides in the drinking water samples varied from <27 to 2431 mBq L À1 , <36 to 270 mBq L À1 and <47 to 2880 mBq L À1 respectively. The activity concentrations of the artificial radionuclide 137 Cs in the drinking water samples were lower than minimum detectable activity except in one drinking water sample (DW14)with an associated activity concentration of 2576 mBq L À1 . Contributions of the consumed water samples to annual effective dose from 226 Ra, 228 Ra and 40 K varied from 1.6 to 33.4 mSv y À1 with a mean of 6.1 mSv y À1 , 2.2 to 46.8 mSv y À1 with a mean of 8.6 mSv y À1 , 4.7 to 97.5 mSv y À1 with a mean of 17.9 mSv y À1 for infants, children and adults, respectively. The results showed that all values of the annual effective dose of ingestion of these water samples were below the individual dose criterion of 100 mSv y À1 reported by World Health Organization (WHO).

Determination of Natural Radionuclides for Water Resources on the West Bank of the Nile River, Assiut Governorate, Egypt

“…The estimations of 226 Ra, 232 Th, and 40 K concentrations from the present work are different from those from other countries ( Table 6). The activity concentrations of 226 Ra and 232 Th from the present work are higher than that uncovered in Egypt (Qena and Safaga) [22], Sudan [23], and Ghana [24] and lower than those uncovered in Yemen [12], Nigeria [25], Turkey [26], Brazil [27], and China [28]. The estimations of 40 K concentration in this work show up much lower than are reported from other countries.…”

Study of Well Waters from High-Level Natural Radiation Areas in Northern Vietnam

“…The concentrations of 226 Ra, 228 Ra and 238 U in well water in the areas observed in this study are significantly higher than those in Hoa Binh, Vietnam. In addition, the observed concentrations are higher than those in reported for many other countries [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 16 ], whereas they are lower than some values reported for tube wells in India. The concentrations observed in well water significantly depend on the type of aquifer rock as well as the chemical and physical characteristics of water [ 27 ], thus such differences can be expected.…”

“…Investigations on natural radiation have received particular attention throughout the world in the last decade, which led to extensive studies in many countries, especially in or surrounding the high-level natural radiation areas. Studies regarding the natural radioactivity in water from different sources were widely conducted [ 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ].…”

Evaluation of Radiological Health Risks in Popularly Consumed Brands of Sachet Water in Nigeria

“…The knowledge of the concentrations of these radioisotopes in water bodies is essential for the evaluation of radiation hazards or exposure to the population. To avoid the overexposure to hazardous radium via consumption of drinking water, many studies on radioactivity levels in water have been conducted in different parts of the world including Nigeria (11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20). The results from such studies were compared with the international reference levels assigned for various radionuclides by regulatory bodies like the World Health Organization (WHO) and European Commission (EU).…”