Assessment of physicochemical and radon-attributable radiological parameters of drinking water samples of Pithoragarh district, Uttarakhand

This study evaluates the quality of drinking water samples (sample size = 52) taken from various locations of Pithoragarh district, Uttarakhand. The parameters include physiochemical properties viz. total dissolved solids (TDS in mg/L), electrical conductivity/salinity (µS/cm), pH and radiological dose attributable to radon in water (µSv/y). TDS values for the tested samples varied within the range of 18–434 mg/L with average value of 148 mg/L. Electrical conductivity and pH for these samples was measured as 36–868 µS/cm (average: 296 µS/cm) and 6.8–8.2 (average: 7.2), respectively. Radon activity concentration for these water samples was measured using scintillation-based radon monitor, immediately after sampling at the location site. Radon activity concentration was measured as 0.6–81.9 Bq/L with an average value of 17.8 Bq/L. The paper also estimates the annual effective ingestion dose (µSv/y), annual effective inhalation dose (µSv/y) and total effective dose (µSv/y) attributable to radon in drinking water samples. Spatial patterns for the observed variations have also been interpreted for the dataset obtained over the terrestrial region.

Contribution of Metasilicates Containing TENORM to Radon Activity Concentration in Building Materials

Radon exhalation from soil and ores is among the most dangerous risks for the public health care. The impact becomes even more powerful when technological enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials (TENORM) are used for public and private building. Here, we report the realization of a down-scaled model of a building, whose construction materials contain TENORM harvested in a site in Crotone (Italy). We observe an increase of the radon activity in the model when TENORM residues are employed. These results have then been compared to a real use case. The correspondence found between the values of radon activity concentration in the model and in the use case suggests that estimating the radon concentration is an useful method to target TENORM presence inside buildings.

Radon Adsorption in Charcoal

Radon is pervasive in our environment and the second leading cause of lung cancer induction after smoking. Therefore, the measurement of radon activity concentrations in homes is important. The use of charcoal is an easy and cost-efficient method for this purpose, as radon can bind to charcoal via Van der Waals interaction. Admittedly, there are potential influencing factors during exposure that can distort the results and need to be investigated. Consequently, charcoal was exposed in a radon chamber at different parameters. Afterward, the activity of the radon decay products 214Pb and 214Bi was measured and extrapolated to the initial radon activity in the sample. After an exposure of 1 h, around 94% of the maximum value was attained and used as a limit for the subsequent exposure time. Charcoal was exposed at differing humidity ranging from 5 to 94%, but no influence on radon adsorption could be detected. If the samples were not sealed after exposure, radon desorbed with an effective half-life of around 31 h. There is also a strong dependence of radon uptake on the chemical structure of the recipient material, which is interesting for biological materials or diffusion barriers as this determines accumulation and transport.