Abstract
Purpose: To determine the activities of 226 Ra and 228 Ra in the reservoir and spring water samples respectively during the dry and the rainy seasons; and to calculate the annual intake Ii (Bq/y) for each type of water samples. Methods: Using both well calibrated Canberra NaI(Tl) and HPGe detector systems, it was possible to determine the average specific activity of those radium’s isotopes in water samples which were collected in 2010, from Reservoirs and springs in Cameroon central region including Ngoaekelle, Minboman, Etoudi and Njoungolo. Results: The average specific activity values obtained for 226 Ra and 228 Ra in reservoir water samples were 8.76 ± 3.50 BqL -1 and 0.64 ± 0.28 BqL -1 during the dry season and, 8.24 ±3.48 BqL -1 and 0.58 ± 0.24 BqL -1 during the rainy season respectively. For spring water, the average values were 3.50 ± 0.63 BqL -1 and below 0.0002 BqL -1 (detection limit of 228 Ra in water) during the dry season; 3.20 ± 0.60 BqL -1 and below 0.0002 BqL -1 (detection limit of 228 Ra in water) during the rainy season respectively. Assuming that the volume of drinking water for adult is 2.5 litres per day, the average annual intakes of 226 Ra and 228 Ra through ingestion in these water samples were 7702 Bq/y and 575 Bq/y for reservoir water; 2993 Bq/y and < 0.25 for spring water respectively. Conclusion: The results have indicated that the annual intake by the population of sampling region as a result of 226 Ra in these drinking waters is 7.7 × 10 3 Bq/y more than the maximum limit fixed by ICRP which is 7 × 10 3 Bq/y. There is a need for regular monitoring the radiological water quality aspect in this region.
Highlights
There are different forms of uranium but 238U is the predominant contributor to natural radioactivity.[1]
The Annual limits of Incorporation (LAI) by ingestion recommended by the International Commission on Radiation Protection (ICRP) are 7 × 103Bq/y for 226Ra and 9 × 103Bq/y for 228Ra assuming an individual annual consumption of 900 litres of water.[8]
The results have indicated that the average specific activity concentration of 226Ra and 228Ra in the reservoir and spring water in this area, are comparable to those reported in previous works throughout the world
Summary
There are different forms of uranium but 238U is the predominant contributor to natural radioactivity.[1] Enhance level of uranium, thorium and their fission products might be present in water in areas that are rich in natural radioactivity. Several radionuclides coming from the radioactive decay chain starting from 238U and 235U are highly radiotoxic. The most radiotoxic and most important among them is radium, which is a known carcinogen and exists in several isotopic forms. The predominant radium isotopes in ground water is 226Ra, an alpha emitter with a half-life of 1600 years, and 228Ra, a beta emitter with a half-life of 5.8year.[2] When radium is taken into the body; its metabolic behaviour is similar to that of calcium and an appreciable fraction being distributed almost uniformly in soft tissues.[3]
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