Search

The effects of uranium and its decay product radon in water are the most important concern in human health. In this paper, efforts have been made to measure and correlate the uranium (Using an LED Fluorimeter) and radon concentrations (Using SMART RnDuo) in the water samples from the Budhakedar region of the Garhwal Himalaya to assess the risk. The concentrations of uranium and radon in the water samples were found to vary between Below Detection Level (BDL) to 1.70 Bq L−1 (with an arithmetic mean of 0.15 Bq L−1) and 0.43 to 1.29 Bq L−1 (with an arithmetic mean of 0.75 Bq L−1) respectively. The annual effective dose to the inhabitants of the study region was also calculated for the different age groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tendency of radioactive radon gas to accumulate within the indoor environment can cause serious hazard to person. Presented study has been carried in 102 houses of district Udham Singh Nagar of Uttarakhand. Gaseous radon and thoron levels were measured with pinhole twin cup dosimeters, and decay products were measured with progeny sensors (DTPS/DRPS). LR-115 (SSNTD) was used as a detector in both techniques. The average radon and thoron values (in Bq m−3) were found to be 36.7 ± 9.5 and 48.8 ± 21.2, respectively. The radon and thoron progeny were found to be 17.1 ± 4.5 and 1.7 ± 0.5 Bq m−3, respectively. The concentration of radon/thoron and progenies were estimated in different seasons and doses were also calculated by applicable formulae. The total annual effective dose (in mSv year−1) due to inhalation of radon, thoron and their progenies concentration was found at 1.64 ± 0.34. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]