Estimation of gross α-β and tritium activities in groundwater samples using LSC-TDCR technique in and around the geothermal region of Eastern India.

Abstract

The present study is an attempt to assess the radiogenic quality of groundwater on the basis of gross α, gross β and tritium (3H or H-3) activities in the Bakreswar-Tantloi geothermal region of Chotanagpur Plateau, West Bengal and Jharkhand, India. The aforesaid parameters in groundwater samples were measured using liquid scintillation counting triple to double coincidence ratio (LSC-TDCR) technique. Groundwater samples collected from Bakreswar-Tantloi geothermal region show gross α activities from below the minimum detectable activity (BMDA) to 0.5 ± 0.05Bq/L, gross β activities from BMDA to 0.2 ± 0.01Bq/L and H-3 activities from BMDA to 63.42Bq/L. The average gross α, gross β and H-3 activities are also within the permissible limits prescribed by the World Health Organization (WHO). Though the annual effective doses in some samples were higher than the reference dose level of 0.1mSv, the overall result suggests that the groundwater in the Bakreswar-Tantloi geothermal region is radiologically safe considering the radionuclides covered in this study.