Estimation of the annual effective doses from direct ingestion of 226Ra and 228Ra in the Disi groundwater for different age groups

Abstract

The total annual effective doses (TAED) from ingestion of naturally occurring radionuclides (NOR) in Disi groundwater for infants, children, and adults have been calculated,The ranges of the estimated annual effective dose reported in this study from direct ingestion of radium (226Ra and 228Ra) were found to be from 0.085±0.021 to 0.532±0.205 mSv y–1, with a mean value of 0.322 ± 0.095 mSv y–1 for infants, from 0.144±0.011 to 0.828±0.203 mSv y–1, with a mean value of 0.519 ± 0.102 mSv y–1 for children and from 0.087±0.024 to 0.383±0.130 mSv y–1, with a mean value of 0.252 ± 0.067 mSv y–1 for adults. The present results of this study were compared with the minimum recommended limits (MRL) reported by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2008) and the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP, 2000), and the previously published data in different countries. The mean annual effective dose from direct consumption of Disi groundwater for infants and adults found to be about three times higher than the MRL of 0.1 mSv/y suggested by WHO, 2008. The average TAED for children found to be five times higher than that recommended limits by WHO, 2008.