Background: Radon concentration was
measured in 50 drinking water samples in Mashhad -
Iran. b The tap water used for
drinking and other household usages can increase
the indoor radon level. Drinking water samples were
collected from various places and supplies of public
water used in Mashhad. Then radon concentration
has been measured by portable radon gas surveyor
SILENA (PRASSI) system. Results: The results showed
that about 70% of water samples had radon
concentration greater than 11Bq/l the level recommended
USA environmental protection agency (EPA).
The arithmetic mean of radon concentration for all
samples was 16.238 ± 9.322 Bq/l. Also the annual
effective dose in stomach and lung per person were
estimated in this research, with the mean value of
0.040 mSv and 0.043 mSv per year for these two
organs for all samples, respectively. Conclusion: The
results indicate that radon concentrations in public
drinking water samples of Mashhad are mostly low
enough and below the proposed concentration limits.
The mean radon level was 16.238 Bq/l for all
samples which is not much greater than 11Bq/l as
EPA advised level. Further, only two samples induced
the total annual effective dose greater than 0.1 mSv
per year. Iran. J. Radiat. Res., 2012 10(1): 37-41
Binesh A, Mowlavi A, Mohammadi S. Estimation of the effective dose from radon ingestion and inhalation in drinking water sources of Mashhad, Iran. Int J Radiat Res 2012; 10 (1) :37-41 URL: http://ijrr.com/article-1-881-en.html