Assessment of Age-Dependent Radiation Dose and Toxicological Risk of Uranium in Ground Water around Uranium Mines in Sikar, Rajasthan

874-885Uranium concentration in forty-six groundwater samples collected from the region near the uranium deposits in the Royal village of Sikar district, Rajasthan, is determined using the LED fluorimetry technique. Age-dependent annual effective dose, radiological, and chemical toxicity risks are calculated to assess health risks associated with the groundwater for the people living in the nearby area. Uranium concentrations of different samples vary from 4.79–266.28 μg/L with an average value of 74.36 μg/L Overall 69% and 43% of samples exhibit uranium concentrations greater than recommended limits of WHO and AERB, respectively. Excess cancer risk values lie in the range from 1.36 × 10-5-7.54 × 10-4and 2.10 × 10-5-1.17 × 10-3 with mean values of 2.11 × 10-4 and 3.26 × 10-4 for mortality and morbidity, respectively. LADD value lies in the range of 0.35 μg/kg/day to 19.51 μg/kg/day with a mean value of 5.44 μg/kg/day. The hazard quotient value for 43.4% and 84.7% of samples is greater than unity according to AERB and WHO standards, respectively. The uranium retention and effective radiological dose to various body organs are estimated using biokinetic modelling. Physico-chemical parameters and their correlation with uranium concentration are also evaluated. A positive correlation is found between TDS and uranium concentration

Assessment of Uranium Concentration in Drinking Water around Khetri Copper Mine Region in Rajasthan, India

496-503Due to serious consequences for human health, it's crucial to know how much uranium (U) is present in our drinking water. The samples of water from various means, viz., hand pumps (HP), tube wells (TB), and public submersible pumps (PSP) from depths of 190 to 1200 feet, with an average depth of 694feet around the Khetri Copper mine in the Sikar and Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan, India have been tested for Physico-chemical contents and their uranium levels. The Pulsed LED Fluorimetry method is used to determine the U conc. in water samples. Uranium levels in water samples have been measured to range from 0.68 - 233 μg/l. The U conc. in 28.34% of samples is higher than the WHO & USEPA recommended limit of 30 μg/l and 18.34% of the samples have U conc. higher than the AERB threshold limit of 60μg/l. The annual effective dose is also calculated and its mean value is found to be12.29 μSv/y due to the ingestion of ground-water. The average cancer mortality risk and average morbidity risk are found to be 9.5×10-5 to 1.47×10-4 lower than the threshold limit of 1.67×10-4 indicating the absence of carcinogenic risks. The chemical risk estimated in terms of LADD (life-time average daily dose) value is found to be in the range of 0.05–17.15 μg/kg/day. The Hazard Quotient (HQ) for 18.34% of samples is found greater than unity which indicates the health risk due to the chemical toxicity of U in groundwater. Total Dissolve Salts (TDS) values in some of the water samples are greater than the acceptable limits for drinking water recommended by BIS (500-2000 ppm)