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Abstracto

In situ measurements of radon levels in groundwater in Northern Rajasthan, India

Vikas Duggal, Asha Rani and Rohit Mehra

Radon gas is a significant health threat linked to thousand of preventable deaths each year. In the present research, radon activity concentrations were measured in 80 groundwater samples collected from 20 villages of the SriGanganagar and Hanumangarh districts of Northern Rajasthan, India. The water samples are taken from Tube wells. The measurements were performed by RAD7 an electronic radon detector manufactured by DURRIDGE COMPANNY Inc. The radon concentration in these samples is found to vary from (1.8 ± 0.7) to (8.2 ± 1.1) Bq L-1 with a mean value of 3.87 Bq L-1. These values are compared with the safe limit values recommended for drinking water. The recorded values of radon concentration are within the safe limit of 11 Bq L-1 recommended by the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). When the measured radon activity concentration values were compared with the allowed MCL for radon concentration in water for human consumption (4-40 Bq l-1) suggested by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, it was observed that the recorded values were well within the safe limit.