Measurement of radon concentration in drinking water and estimation of radiation dose to the publics of Hassan city, Karnataka, India.

In the present paper, the radon concentration in drinking water samples of the Hassan city, Karnataka state, India, was analyzed using the radon emanometry technique. The measured radon concentrations ranged from 19.5 ± 1.5 to 121.8 ± 5.6 Bq/L with an average value of 61.4 ± 3.3 Bq/L. This study reveals that all the drinking water samples have radon concentration levels higher than the maximum contaminant level of 11 Bq/L as suggested by the Environmental Protection Agency, and 75% of the recorded radon concentration values were found to be well below the action level of 100 Bq/L recommended by the World Health Organization. The average annual effective dose to the population of the studied area was found to be slightly greater than the safe limit of 100 μSv/y recommended by the World Health Organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]