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In this study, the equivalent dose rate of natural radionuclides (HT) in 99 spring water and surface soil samples was determined using an alpha, beta, and gamma high sensitivity detector up within a Geiger-Muller tube and with an external probe NaI (Tl). The samples were collected in the Crati basin (southern Italy), and during sample collection, water quality parameters were detected in situ and at the University of Calabria laboratories. A Pearson correlation coefficient analysis was applied to identify and clarify the relationships between water physical-chemical properties and soil and water radioactivity. Results show that the mean HT for spring waters is 97.07 μSv/h. Furthermore, the mean HT for surface soils is 97.92 μSv/h, thus evidencing higher mean HT values than worldwide ones reported in a previous literature. Low correlation coefficients were detected between water HT and conductivity and pH. On the contrary, a reasonable correlation was found between HT in spring water and in soil. This relationship is associated with some rocks of the Sila Massif and of Coastal Chain, i.e., plutonic and metamorphic crystalline rocks. Finally, the estimation of the health risk was calculated: results did not evidence serious dangers for people living in the studied environment. The results from this survey for the HT evaluation provide an extensive assessment of the background exposure levels in the investigated area.

The characterization of the spatial variation of geochemical parameters in spring waters, especially the ones used for drinking purpose, is essential to identify potential risks to humans. In this work, results of a qualitative analysis on 190 samples of spring waters collected in the largest catchment of the Calabria region (southern Italy) are shown. Several physical and chemical parameters were analysed and the Langelier-Ludwig diagram was built to evaluate the hydrochemical facies of the sampled waters. Additionally, the relationships between water temperature and altitude and electric conductivity (EC) and altitude were assessed. Geostatistical methods were used to map the physical and chemical parameters. Results showed a good quality status of the spring waters in the Crati basin, with a predominant Ca-Mg-type hydrochemical facies. Then, a connection between EC and temperature with elevation has been detected in some area of the basin. Finally, the spatial analysis allowed identifying the distribution of the concentration of the several parameters.