Abstract: Current level of Radon gas in groundwater is of great interest in the context of current level of cancer cases in Nigeria. The Rn-222 activity concentration in ground water from 12 boreholes and the corresponding purified drinking water in Kaduna North metropolis were investigated in the present study. The liquid scintillation counter used for sample analysis provides reliable measurement of Rn-222 activity concentrations which ranges over 3.34–17.70 kBq/m3 resulting in large spatial differences in Rn-222 concentration. The results obtained show that all the boreholes monitored had radon water concentration within international standard limits such as the U. S EPA Alternative Maximum Contamination level (AMCL) which is 146 kBq/m3 and the European Union reference level of 1000 kBq/m3. However a small fraction of the boreholes monitored exceeded the recent proposed limit of U.S Environmental Protection Agency of 11kBq/m3 for Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL). The estimated doses due to the consumption of drinking water containing radon vary significantly with the quantity of drinking water consumed and the degree to which the water has been processed prior to consumption. However dose estimates based on measurements made in this study demonstrate that Rn-222 in drinking water may not pose a significant health risk, in the short term, to consumers who depend on drinking water supplies derived from the boreholes monitored.
Keywords: Radon, groundwater, cancer, activity, concentration, boreholes.
Title: Radon Measurement in Commercial Borehole Water from Some Selected Areas of Kaduna Metropolis Using Liquid Scintillation Counter
Author: A. M. Kamba, I. O. Okunade
International Journal of Mathematics and Physical Sciences Research
ISSN 2348-5736 (Online)
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