Determination of 222Rn level in groundwater using a RAD7 detector in the Bathinda district of Punjab, India

Radon gas is a significant health threat linked to thousands of preventable deaths each year. In this paper, radon activity concentration is measured in 260 groundwater samples collected from 65 villages in the Bathinda district of Punjab State, India, using Rad7, an electronic radon detector (Durridge Co., USA). The radon concentration varies from 0.9±0.2 to 5.1±0.3 Bq l-1 with a mean value of 2.63 Bq l-1. The recorded values of radon concentration in groundwater are within the safe limit of 11 Bq l-1 recommended by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The annual effective dose in stomach and lungs per person is also evaluated in this research. The estimated total annual effective dose of adults ranged from 8.82 to 49.98 μSv y-1. The total annual effective dose from all locations of the studied area is found to be within the safe limit (0.1 mSv y-1), recommended by World Health Organisation and EU Council. (authors)