Variations in radon concentration in groundwater of Kumaon Himalaya, India

Elevated radon level in drinking water of Ajodhya Hill Area of West Bengal, India: probable health impact on lung and stomach

A screening survey has been carried out to measure the radon concentration in drinking water at various locations of Ajodhya hill and surrounding areas in Purulia district of West Bengal, India, using AlphaGUARD radon monitor. The obtained 222Rn concentration in ground water varies from 5.71 ± 0.29 to 579.47 ± 23.18 Bq/l with an average of 110.00 ± 6.61 Bq/l. Comparison between our results with the internationally recommended reference levels reveals that drinking of water from the majority of these tube-wells can pose significant health risks to the local people. Correlation study indicates that tube-well depth has significant influence on the radon level in water samples. Using 60 l/yr and 1642.50 l/yr water consumption estimated annual effective radon doses for most of the samples (almost 70% and 96%, respectively) are high compared to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Union (EU) Commission prescribed reference dose limit of 100 μSv/yr. Also, the evaluated Excess Lifetime Cancer Risk (ELCR) values associated with the tube-wells are showing serious threat to the health of the locals.The primary goal of this work is to develop a radon profile map of this area and to find out the possible reasons behind the elevated radon level in ground water. This type of work may play a very crucial role to aware the locals in perspective of human exposure to radon. The local health officials and the water quality regulators of India are requested to take necessary steps for protecting the local people from water radon hazard.

A comprehensive study of radon in drinking waters of Hanumangarh district and the assessment of resulting dose to local population

Study of radon concentration in drinking water from different sources (groundwater and surface water) used across the Hanumangarh district of Rajasthan, India, was done using scintillation-based detector. The concentration of radon in surface water varied from 0.12 to 2.07 Bq/l with an average value of 0.62 Bq/l and a standard deviation of 0.55 Bq/l and in groundwater samples varied from 1.61 to 8.73 Bq/l with an average value of 4.8 Bq/l and a standard deviation of 2.24 Bq/l. The ingestion and inhalation dose were calculated to assess the health risk for infants, children and adults. The resulting average annual effective dose has been found to be considerably lower than the recommended safe limit of 0.1 msv/y (WHO, In: Incorporating first and second addenda, third ed. WHO Press, Geneva. 3rd ed. World Health Organisation, Geneva, Switzerland, 2008). It can be concluded that radon in water does not pose a significant radiological health risk to the population of the studied area.

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

In the present investigation, the ingestion and inhalation dosage for the particular body organs in light of the intake of radon through ground water utilised by the occupants have been assessed in the different villages of the Upper Bari Doab region of Amritsar province, India using an electrostatic collection type radon monitor (RAD7) analyzer with RAD-H2O accessory. The mean radon activity level in water was seen to be 8.34 ± 2.99 Bql-1. The newborn children have higher radiation dosage than the other age groups because of their high dosage transformation factors. However, the radiation dosage received by all different age groups significantly less than the UNSCEAR and WHO suggested a level of 100 μSv y-1. The annual effective dosage for the diverse body organs because of the intake of radon was moreover ascertained and found the maximum dosage for lungs than other organs. The radiation dosage received by bronchial epithelium by the means of inhalation was likewise high when contrasted with that by stomach walls through ingestion.