Distribution of 222Rn in groundwater and estimation of resulting radiation dose to different age groups: A case study from Bangalore City

Ingesting waters holding high levels of natural occurring radioactive element like Radon would contribute to increase in the effective dose received by people followed by an increased prevalence of cancer. The current study is an attempt to describe the extent of contribution of 222 Rn to natural ba...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Human and ecological risk assessment 2018-01, Vol.24 (1), p.174-185
Main Authors: Ravikumar, P., Somashekar, R. K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Age
Age groups
Background radiation
Cancer
Case studies
Children
Contaminants
dose conversion factor (DCF)
Environmental protection
Females
Groundwater
Health risk assessment
Infants
Ingestion
lactation
Males
Pregnancy
pregnant
Radiation
Radiation dosage
Radioisotopes
Radon
Radon isotopes
Radon levels
UNSCEAR
Young adults
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Summary:Ingesting waters holding high levels of natural occurring radioactive element like Radon would contribute to increase in the effective dose received by people followed by an increased prevalence of cancer. The current study is an attempt to describe the extent of contribution of 222 Rn to natural background radiation and the resultant effective dose to public of different age groups. In order to do so, 65 groundwater samples from selected parts of Bangalore city were collected and analyzed for radon activity using RAD7 radon monitor coupled with RAD H 2 O accessories. The radon activity was in the range of 3.05-696 Bq/L (mean: 91.39 Bq/L) and 92.31% of the groundwater samples recorded elevated radon concentration above the United States environmental protection agency (USEPA's) Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) value of 300 pCi/L, corresponding to 11.1 Bq/L. The mean annual effective dose contribution of people falling under different age groups (viz., infants, children, teens: males and females, adults: males and females, pregnant and lactating women) due to ingestion of water-borne 222 Rn ranged from 0.082 to 0.444 mSv/y and was found to be higher in all the age groups of males compared to respective female age groups, but well within the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) and World Health Organization (WHO) proposed limit of 1 mSv/y.
ISSN:1080-7039
1549-7860
DOI:10.1080/10807039.2017.1373251