Age-dependent dose and health risk due to intake of uranium in drinking water from Jaduguda, India.

Patra, A. C.; Mohapatra, S.; Sahoo, S. K.; Lenka, P.; Dubey, J. S.; Tripathi, R. M.; Puranik, V. D.

Uranium is a heavy metal that is not only radiologically harmful but also a well-known nephrotoxic element. In this study, occurrence of uranium in drinking water samples from locations near the uranium mining site at Jaduguda, India, was studied by Laser-induced fluorimetry. Uranium concentrations range from 0.03 ± 0.01 to 11.6 ± 1.3 µg l−l, being well within the US Environmental Protection Agency drinking water limit of 30 μg l−1. The ingestion dose due to the presence of uranium in drinking water for various age groups varies from 0.03 to 28.3 μSv y−1. The excess lifetime cancer risk varies from 4.3×10−8 to 1.7×10−5 with an average value of 4.8×10−6, much less than the acceptable excess lifetime cancer risk of 10−3 for radiological risk. The chemical risk (hazard quotient) has an average value of 0.15 indicating that the water is safe for drinking.

URANIUM in water; AGE factors in disease; HEALTH risk assessment; CONTAMINATION of drinking water; RADIATION doses; CANCER risk factors

Radiation Protection Dosimetry, 2013, Vol 155, Issue 2, p210

0144-8420

Academic Journal

10.1093/rpd/ncs328