Risk assessment of 226Ra and 222Rn from the drinking water in the Jalandhar and Kapurthla districts of Punjab

Abstract

Naturally occurring Radium (226Ra) and Radon (222Rn) concentration in the drinking water samples of 20 villages of Jalandhar and Kapurthla districts of Punjab has been determined for health risk assessment. Activity concentration of 226Ra and 222Rn in the studied water samples varies from 0.08 to 0.13 Bq l−1 and 1.42 to 5.26 Bq l−1, with the average concentration of 0.1 Bq l−1 and 3.51 Bq l−1 respectively. The dose to the internal parts of the body is received from 222Rn through inhalation and ingestion while 226Ra contributes dose mainly through ingestion. The annual average inhalation and ingestion dose from 222Rn in water in the studied area is 0.89 nSv a−1 and 0.74 μSv a−1. The mean annual ingestion dose from 226Ra in water is 18.73 μSv a−1. The total mean annual effective dose due to 226Ra and 222Rn in water is 19.46 μSv a−1. As the total annual effective dose due to 226Ra and 222Rn in water samples of the study area is lower than the reference dose level of 10 mSv, the health hazards related to these radionuclides are expected to be negligible.