Levels of iodine and other elements in drinking water across rural counties adjoining a former uranium mining and milling works, through short-time activation analysis

In this study, drinking waters from the Urgeiriça region (Centre-North of Portugal) were collected for (potential) health concerns over their (actual) iodine contents. After freeze-drying 1 L of each water, neutron activation analysis (NAA) with both thermal and epithermal neutrons was applied, the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment, 2007-08, Vol.579 (1), p.514-517
Main Authors: Freitas, Maria do Carmo, Vieira, Bruno J., Pacheco, Adriano M.G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Drinking water
ENAA
Human health
INAA
Iodine
Short-lived nuclides
Uranium mines
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Summary:In this study, drinking waters from the Urgeiriça region (Centre-North of Portugal) were collected for (potential) health concerns over their (actual) iodine contents. After freeze-drying 1 L of each water, neutron activation analysis (NAA) with both thermal and epithermal neutrons was applied, the latter to ease the determination of iodine. Levels of iodine were found to be low and not likely associated to a higher risk of thyroid cancers in the area. However, other chemical elements in the sampled waters could pose some threats from the point of view of human health: aluminium and bromine. Some samples contained arsenic and/or uranium, yet the levels of these two elements were below the regulated values. NAA demonstrated to be very adequate for analysis of iodine and other elements, via short-lived nuclides.
ISSN:0168-9002
1872-9576
DOI:10.1016/j.nima.2007.04.113