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

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Abstract

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.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Sidho-Kanho-Birsha University for providing the essential infrastructural facility and also the local people of the area under study for their cooperation. CB acknowledges the financial assistance from Department of Science & Technology-Fund for Improvement of Science &Technology Infrastructure (SR/FST/PS-1/2020/159) New Delhi, India and RUSA grant of SKBU, University Grant Commissions-Faculty Research Promotion Scheme Start-up-Grant [(No.F.30-557/2021(BSR) Dated: 21 Jan, 2022)], seed grant of faculty research, SKBU (R/847/SKBU/2022 dated 20th July, 2022).

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  1. Department of Physics, Sidho-Kanho-Birsha University, Purulia, 723104, India

    Joydeep Mukherjee, Sayantan Mitra, Sushanta Sutradhar, Sonjoy Mondal & Chiranjib Barman

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Mukherjee, J., Mitra, S., Sutradhar, S. et al. Radon (Rn-222) activity measurement in ground water and associated dose estimation in Raghunathpur and Jhalda municipalities of Purulia district, West Bengal, India. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 333, 1427–1441 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-023-09041-w

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