Measurement of specific radioactivity of natural and artificial radioactive nuclei and calculation of radiological hazards related to them in drinking water of Isfahan region

Authors

Abstract

Safe water is one of the basic needs of humans that must be free of any contamination. One of the water pollutants is radioactive nuclei, which naturally and artificially occur in the environment. Therefore, accurate measurements of water radioactivity are very important. The activity concentration of 226Ra, 232Th, 40K, and 137Cs in 26 drinking water samples from the Isfahan province was measured by gamma spectrometry using a high purity germanium detector (HPGe). Activity concentrations of 226Ra for all samples were below the detection limit. The average specific activity of radionuclides 232Th, 40K and 137Cs were measured as 1.40, 82.23 and 0.0.40 respectively in Bq/l. Annual effective doses as a result of ingestion of water containing 232Th, 40K and 137Cs radionuclides for adults ranged from 0.317 to 1.153 with an average of 0.784, from 0.059 to 0.150 with an average of 0.114 and from 0.001 to 0.016 with an average of 0.003 in μSv/y respectively. The excess lifetime cancer risk was calculated for three age groups, which was 1.59 ×10-6 for adults. The results showed that the annual effective dose as a result of drinking water consumption was lower than the WHO Individual Dose Criterion (100 μSv/y), so it does not pose a threat to the inhabitants of this area and has good quality.

Keywords

References

[1] National Research Council (US) Safe Drinking Water Committee. Drinking Water and Health: Volume 1. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 1977. VII, Radioactivity In Drinking Water. [2] A. Faanu, O.K. Adukpo, L. Tettey‑Larbi, H. Lawluvi, D.O. Kpeglo, E.O. Darko, G. Emi‑Reynolds, R.A. Awudu, C. Kansaana, P.A. Amoah, A.O. Efa, A.D. Ibrahim, B. Agyeman, R. Kpodzro and L. Agyeman. Natural radioactivity levels in soils, rocks and water at a mining concession of Perseus gold mine and surrounding towns in central Region of Ghana, Springer Plus 5, 98(2016) 1-16. [3] B. Azarvand and S. Anvarian. Determination and Measurement of Radioactivity in Environmental Samples of Sungun Mine of Iran. International Journal of Environmental Science and Technolology, 13(1) (2011) 49-57. [4] Environmental consequences of the Chernobyl accident and their remediation: Twenty years of experience Report of the Chernobyl Forum Expert Group ‘Environment radiological assessment reports series International Atomic Energy Agency, VIENNA, 2006. [5] R. Pourimani and Z. Nemati. Measurement of Radionuclide Concentration in Some Water Recourse in Markazi province, Iran. Iranian Journal of Medical Physics, 13(1) (2016) 49-57. [6] M.A. Hossain, K. Asaduzzaman, A. Kowser, S.A.M. Shariar Islam, M.R. Islam, S.A. Kakoly, M. Begum and M. Khondker. Natural Radioactivity Levels and Radiological Risk Assessment of Surface Water of Wetland Tangur Haor, Sunamganj District, Bangladesh, Journal Of Radiation and Nuclear Applications, 4(2) (2019) 117-125. [7] P. Marzban, K. Karim K, M.R. Zare and A. Ebrahiminia. Natural Radioactivity Level of, and Radionuclides in Drinking water of Residential Areas in Kermanshah Province, Iran. Iranian Journal of Medical Physics, 16(1) (2019) 98-102. [8] https://www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/national-primary-drinking-water-regulations. [9] UNSCEAR United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (2000) in sources and effects of ionizing radiation report to general assembly with scientific Annexes. NewYork, United Nation Publication. [10] UNSCEAR United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (2008) in sources and effects of ionizing radiation report to general assembly with scientific Annexes. NewYork, United Nation Publication. [11] WHO Guidelines for drinking-water quality. WHO Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data NLM classification: WA 675, ISBN 978 92 4 154815 1. [12] N.M. Yussuf, I. Hossain and H. Wagiran. Natural radioactivity in drinking and mineral water in johor Bahru (Malaysia). Scientific Research Essays 7(9) (2012) 1070-1075. [13] S. Labidi and S. Gharbi. Dose assessment to members of the public in Tunisia from intakes of some naturally occurring radionuclides in bottled mineral water. Journal of Radiation Research, 16(3) (2018) 371-381. [14] A.S. Alaboodi, N.A. Kadhim and N.A. Abojassim. Radiological hazards due to natural radioactivity and radon concentrations in water samples at Al-Hurrah. International Journal of Radiation Research, 18(1) (2020) 1-11. [15] A. Abbasi and V. Bashiry. Measurement of radium-226 concentration and dosecalculation of drinking water samples in Guilan province of Iran. International Journal of Radiation Research, 14(4) (2016) 361-366. [16] IAEA TECDOC-1360 International Atomic Energy Agency. Collection and preparation of bottom sediment samples for analysis of radio nuclides and trace elements, IAEA, Vienna. 2003. [17] L.A. Currie. Limits for qualitative detection and quantitative determination. Journal of Radioanalytical Nuclear Chemistry, 40(3) (1968) 586-593. [18] R.B. Firestone, V.S. Shirley and C.M. Baglin. Table of isotopes CD-ROM, Eight Edition Version.1996. [19] M. Šostaric, B. Petrinec and D. Babic. 137Cs in soil and fallout around Zagreb (CROATIA) at the time of the Fukushima Accident. Archives of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology, 64(4) (2013) 561-565 [20] A. Salih, M. Karabıdak, A. Kaya and S. Kaya. Cancer risk analysis of some drinking water resources in Gümüşhane, Turkey Sustainable Water Resources Management 5(2019) 1939–1949. [21] R. Pourimani, R. Fardad and M. Mirzaei. Assessment of Environmental Radioactivity in Sediments, Water and Reed Samples at the Inlet of Wastewater Treatment plant of Arak to international Meyghan Wetland. (2019) (Persian ( [22] I.T. AL-Alawy, R.S. Mohammed, H.R. Fadil and A.A. Hasan. Determination of Radioactivity Levels, Hazard, Cancer Sediment Samples in Al- husseiniya River (Karbala, Iraq). Journal of Physics Conference Series 1032(1): 012012 (2018). [23] E.O. Agbalagba, G.O. Akwiri and C.P. Ononugbo. Activity concentration and radiological impact assessment of 226Ra,228Ra and 40K in drinking waters from (OML) 30, 58 and 61 oil fields and host communities in Niger Delta region of Nigeria, Journa. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 116(2013) 197-200 [24] F.A. Alseroury, T. Almeelbi, K. Aslam. M.A. Barakatab, J.H. Al-Zahrania and W. Alalid. Estimation of natural radioactive and heavy metals concentration in underground water. Jornal of Radiation Research Applied Science, 11(4) (2018) 373-378. [25] A. Aydan, T. Şeref and G. Hasan. The natural and artificial radionuclides in drinking water samples and co samples and consequent population doses. Journal of Radiation Research Applied Science, 84(2015) 578-82. [26] O.S. Ajayi and G. Adesida. Radioactivity in some sachet drinking water samples produced in Nigeria. Iranian Journal of Radiation Research. 7(3) (2009) 151-158.

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics