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Health Risk Implication and Spatial Distribution of Radon in Groundwater Along the Lithological Contact in South India

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Abstract

The presence of radioactive elements in groundwater results in high health risks on surrounding populations. Hence, a study was conducted in central Tamil Nadu, South India, to measure the radon levels in groundwater and determine the associated health risk. The study was conducted along the lithological contact of hard rock and sedimentary formation. The concentrations of uranium (U) varied from 0.28 to 84.65 µg/L, and the radioactivity of radon (Rn) varied from 258 to 7072 Bq/m3 in the collected groundwater samples. The spatial distribution of Rn in the study area showed that higher values were identified along the central and northern regions of the study area. The data also indicate that granitic and gneissic rocks are the major contributors to Rn in groundwater through U-enriched lithological zones. The radon levels in all samples were below the maximum concentration level, prescribed by Environmental Protection Agency. The effective dose levels for ingestion and inhalation were calculated according to parameters introduced by UNSCEAR and were found to be lesser (0.235–6.453 μSvy−1) than the recommended limit. Hence, the regional groundwater in the study area does not pose any health risks to consumers. The spatial distribution of Rn’s effective dose level indicates the higher values were mainly in the central and northern portion of the study area consist of gneissic, quarzitic, and granitic rocks. The present study showed that Rn concentrations in groundwater depend on the lithology, structural attributes, the existence of uranium minerals in rocks, and the redox conditions. The results of this study provide information on the spatial distribution of Rn in the groundwater and its potential health risk in central Tamil Nadu, India. It is anticipated that these data will help policymakers to develop plans for management of drinking water resources in the region.

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Acknowledgements

The authors express their sincere thanks to the Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences (BRNS), India, for providing the necessary financial support to this Research Project vide Ref. No. 2012/35/12/BRNS/1918 dated 2012.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Sciences, Annamalai University, Tamil Nadu, Annamalai Nagar, India

    Vasanthakumari Sivasankara Pillai Adithya, Sabarathinam Chidambaram, Chandrasekar Thivya & Rajendiran Thilagavathi

  2. Water Research Centre, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Kuwait City, Kuwait

    Sabarathinam Chidambaram

  3. Faculty of Engineering and Science, Department of Applied Geology, Curtin University Malaysia, CDT 250, 98009, Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia

    Mohan Viswanathan Prasanna

  4. Department of Disaster Management, Alagappa University, Karaikudi, Tamil Nadu, India

    Senapathi Venkatramanan

  5. Isotope and Radiation Application Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, India

    Keesari Tirumalesh

  6. Department of Chemistry, Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai, 400094, India

    Keesari Tirumalesh

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  1. Vasanthakumari Sivasankara Pillai Adithya
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Adithya, V.S.P., Chidambaram, S., Prasanna, M.V. et al. Health Risk Implication and Spatial Distribution of Radon in Groundwater Along the Lithological Contact in South India. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 80, 308–318 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-020-00798-9

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