Investigation of 238U content in bottled water consumed in Kuwait and estimates of annual effective doses

Risk assessment of gross alpha-beta activity concentration in drinking water in Kuwait: baseline measurements and review

This study measured the gross alpha and beta radiation in Kuwait's drinking water sources, including local and imported bottled and public-piped water, to assess safety and establish consumer trust. The assessment aimed to establish a baseline for gross alpha and gross beta activity levels and to validate a rapid emergency detection method, following World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. The results indicated that gross alpha and beta radiation concentrations and total effective doses remained within the safe limits established by WHO for all water types. Specifically, the measured values were as follows: local bottled water (0.034 ± 0.002 Bq/L for alpha, 0.078 ± 0.04 Bq/L for beta, and 0.046 ± 0.022 mSv/y for total effective dose), imported bottled water (0.031 ± 0.001 Bq/L for alpha, 0.066 ± 0.02 Bq/L for beta, and 0.04 ± 0.01 mSv/y for total effective dose), and public-piped water (0.029 ± 0.0004 Bq/L for alpha, 0.041 ± 0.001 Bq/L for beta, and 0.026 ± 0.001 mSv/y for total effective dose). The measured gross alpha and beta values, which affect the total (annual) effective dose, were below the WHO reference levels for gross activity (0.5 ± 0.01 Bq/L for alpha, 1 ± 0.13 Bq/L for beta, and 0.1 mSv/y for the annual effective dose). This indicates that the water is acceptable for human consumption without any safety concerns. However, three bottled water samples exhibited higher gross beta activity concentrations than the others; these samples require specialized nuclide analysis using advanced methods to determine their radionuclide content, influencing the estimated effective dose.

Natural radioactivity in sachet drinking water produced in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

Natural radioactivity in 20 brands of sachet water produced in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria, was analyzed using well-shielded, calibrated NaI(Tl) gamma spectroscopy. The measured activity concentration varies from 0.41 ± 0.05 Bql-1 to 8.78 ± 0.97 Bql-1 for 232Th and 4.29 ± 0.4 Bql-1 to 37.48 ± 2.51 Bql-1 for 40 K, and below detection level for 226Ra. The mean annual effective dose calculated for the age groups 0-1 year, 1-2 years, 2-7 years, 7-12 years, 12-17 years, and > 17 years is 4.63, 0.54, 0.49, 0.51, 0.55, and 0.68 mSv respectively. The total annual effective dose from consumption of some of the sachet water exceeded the world average values of 0.12 mSv reported by UNSCEAR. The values also exceed the WHO- and ICRP-recommended values of 0.1 mSv and 1.0 mSv respectively. This showed that there might be radiological risks arising from the consumption of the analyzed sachet water.

Evaluation of occurrence of organic, inorganic, and microbial contaminants in bottled drinking water and comparison with international guidelines: a worldwide review

The aim of this study was to evaluate the levels of inorganic and organic substances as well as microbial contaminants in bottled drinking water on a global scale. The findings were compared to WHO guidelines, EPA standards, European Union (EU) directive, and standards drafted by International Bottled Water Association (IBWA). Our review showed that 46% of studies focused on the organic contaminants, 25% on physicochemical parameters, 12% on trace elements, 7% on the microbial quality, and 10% on microplastics (MPs) and radionuclides elements. Overall, from the 54 studies focusing on organic contaminants (OCs) compounds, 11% of studies had higher OCs concentrations than the standard permissible limit. According to the obtained results from this review, several OCs, inorganic contaminants (IOCs), including CHCl3, CHBrCl2, DEHP, benzene, styrene, Ba, As, Hg, pb, Ag, F, NO3, and SO4 in bottled drinking water of some countries were higher than the international guidelines values that may cause risks for human health in a long period of time. Furthermore, some problematic contaminants with known or unknown health effects such as EDCs, DBP, AA, MPs, and some radionuclides (40K and 222Rn) lack maximum permissible values in bottled drinking water as stipulated by international guidelines. The risk index (HI) for OCs and IOCs (CHBrCl2, Ba, As, and Hg) was higher than 1 in adults and children, and the value of HI for CHCl3 in children was more than 1. Thus, further studies are required to have a better understanding of all contaminants levels in bottled drinking water.