Determination of radioactivity level of water supply network in Trabzon province, Turkey.

In the present study, the radioactivity levels of water samples collected from the main water supply network in Trabzon province and districts and soil samples taken from the vicinity of the water network were measured. An Alphaguard-PQ2000 radon gas detector was used to determine the seasonal radon gas level in the water samples. An HPGe detector was used to determine the level of radioactivity in soil and water samples. The average concentration of 222Rn in drinking water ranges from 0.56 ± 0.51 to 13.3 ± 5 Bq L-1. In water samples, average gross alpha and gross beta values were measured as 8 ± 1 and 43 ± 1 mBq L-1, respectively. The average concentrations of 238U, 232Th, 137Cs, 40K radionuclides in soil were measured as 51 ± 2, 21 ± 2, 16 ± 1, 28 ± 7 Bq m-3, respectively. The average concentrations of 238U, 232Th, 137Cs, 40K radionuclides in drinking water were measured as 147 ± 5, 25 ± 2, 77 ± 2, 12 ± 2 mBq L-1, respectively. When the radon concentrations for drinking water were examined, it was found that the radon concentration of the three samples was above the limit value (11 Bq L-1) allowed by the US-EPA for drinking water. All other results are below the limit values.

Radioactivity measurements and risk assessments of spa waters in some areas in Turkey.

The current study presents the results of the activity of radionuclides in spa waters, and evaluates their radiological influences on the population consuming these waters in the Central and Eastern Black Sea regions of Turkey. Since these waters are used for therapy and consumption purposes unconsciously, their radiological impact on the people was computed by taking into consideration the annual intake through ingestion of 226Ra, 232Th, 40K, 137Cs and 222Rn. The mean activities were estimated to be 11.35 for gross alpha, 6.23 for gross beta, 2.96 for 226Ra, 0.42 for 232Th, 0.069 for 137Cs, 0.19 for 40K, and 267 Bq L-1 for 222Rn, respectively. The estimated effective doses from spa water were found to be 49.77 µSv a-1 (226Ra), 5.95 µSv a-1 (232Th), 0.07 µSv a-1 (137Cs), 0.83 µSv a-1 (40K) and 56.03 µSv a-1 (222Rn). These values were evaluated and compared with related verified values from literature. Also, physico-chemical characterizations of spa water samples considered in the current study were investigated. This study would be useful for consumers and official authorities for the assessment of radiation exposure risk due to usage of the considered spa waters.