Measurements of Radon concentration in water in the United Arab Emirates and the associated health effects

Abstract

In this paper, we report recent measurements of Radon ( <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">222</sup> Rn) concentrations in water samples taken from underground water wells, tap water and compercially purified bottled water for drinking in United Arab Emirates (UAE). The groundwater samples were collected from different regions in the United Arab Emirates. Radon concentration measurements were performed using the Professional Radon Monitor Alpha GUARD PQ 2000PRO along with the additional accessory AquaKIT. The average level of radon concentration in water samples ranged from 0.05 Bq/L to 1.82 Bq/L. The highest radon concentration were measured in water samples from underground water wells. On average, radon concentration in water is 0.43 Bq/L.To assess the associated health effects of the measured concentrations, the mean value of annual effective dose was calculated from radon ingested with drinking water for an individual consumer. The annual effective does was calculated using established models. It ranged from 0.64 μSv/y to 22.7 μSv/y. These values are well below the dose limits set by the World Health Organization (100 Bq/L), by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (11.1 Bq/L) and by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiations (40 Bq/L).