Radon (Rn-222) activity measurement in ground water and associated dose estimation in Raghunathpur and Jhalda municipalities of Purulia district, West Bengal, India

Present work deals with radon (Rn-222) activity measurement of deep tube-well water samples collected from Raghunathpur and Jhalda, two municipalities of Purulia district, West Bengal, India. Concentration of Rn-222 in water samples collected from Raghunathpur municipality vary from 11.82 ± 0.95 to 155.64 ± 2.33 Bq/l with an average of 49.78 ± 1.81 Bq/l, whereas for Jhalda municipality the concentrations vary from 12.08 ± 1.02 to 74.74 ± 2.12 Bq/l with an average of 39.06 ± 1.40 Bq/l. The total annual effective dose associated with Rn-222 activity has been estimated for three different categories viz. adults, children and infants in terms of inhalation and ingestion. Additionally, pH and the major cations (Na⁺, K⁺, Li⁺, Ca²⁺) present in the water samples are also measured to observe the possible correlation with the Rn-222 activity. The results indicate that the groundwater in these two municipalities are radiologically safe in terms of Rn-222 and thus do not provide significant health threats to the local inhabitants. (author)