Toxicological risk and age-dependent radiation dose assessment of uranium in drinking water in southwest-central districts of Haryana State, India

Abstract

The concentrations of uranium in one hundred and five groundwater samples collected from Bhiwani and Charkhi Dadri districts of Haryana State, India were determined using LED fluorimetry to estimate annual effective dose, cancer and chemical toxicity risks for inhabitants of these areas. Uranium concentrations varied from 1 to 300 μg L−1 with an average value of 28 μg L−1 and a median of 15 μg L−1. Approximately 25% of the samples exceeded the provisional guideline value of 30 μg L−1 recommended by the World Health Organization. The age-dependent annual effective doses varied from 1.1 to 753 μSv y−1 with an average value of 47 μSv y−1. The infants have received relatively high mean annual effective doses compared to the other age groups. The average value of cancer mortality and cancer morbidity risk was found as 4.1 × 10−5 and 6.3 × 10−5, respectively, which are lower than the Indian permissible limit of 1.67 × 10−4. The lifetime average daily doses of uranium varied from 0.03 to 8.57 μg kg−1 day−1. A positive correlation was observed between uranium concentration and total dissolved solids.