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High uranium dose from the groundwater in a granitic terrain in the eastern part of Karnataka, India

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Abstract

Very high uranium concentrations of ⁓3000 μgL−1 or more have been found in groundwater held in the granitic aquifers of four villages in eastern Karnataka, India. The highest uranium concentration was 8649 μgL−1 (calculated 218.7 BqL−1) and a maximum radon activity of 101.4 BqL−1. The ingestion doses of uranium for males and females of all age groups are very much higher compared to the corresponding dose calculated for World Health Organization and Atomic Energy Regulatory Board recommended concentrations of 30 and 60 μgL−1for drinking water. It is therefore recommended that alternative sources for drinking water need to be made to meet United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 6 to ensure good health from safe drinking water.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are indebted to Prof. S. K. Satheesh for his support and encouragement. The authors are thankful to Mrs. Kavitha Devi Ramkumar for her help in the preparation of illustrations.

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The authors have no relevant financial or nonfinancial interests to disclose.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Divecha Centre for Climate Change, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, 560012, India

    Manoj Kumar **dal, S. A. Pandit, Deepak Salim & R. Srinivasan

  2. CARER, Mangalore University, Mangala Gangothri, Mangalore, 574199, India

    N. Karunakara & Sudeep Kumara

  3. Department of Physics, University of Mysore, Mysore, India

    M. S. Chandrashekara & Vipin Kumar

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  1. Manoj Kumar **dal
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  2. S. A. Pandit
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Correspondence to Manoj Kumar **dal or S. A. Pandit.

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**dal, M.K., Pandit, S.A., Karunakara, N. et al. High uranium dose from the groundwater in a granitic terrain in the eastern part of Karnataka, India. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 333, 2905–2913 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-023-09053-6

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