Exposure of the population through mineral water consumption

摘要

This study had as its basic objectives the radioactivity control of the mineral drinking waters according to existing standards and the evaluation of doses to the population by ingestion of mineral water. During the period 1997 to 2000, 107 water samples (bottled waters commercially available for human intake and some spring waters) were collected. Their total alpha and beta radioactivity and the natural radioelements (natural uranium and thorium, radium-226 and potassium-40) were measured. The following contents were found: 0.25-35 mBq L~(-1) for ~(238)U, 0.04-4.4 mBqL~(-1) for ~(232)Th and 9-1250 mBq L~(-1) for ~(40)K. Corresponding activities of ~(226)Ra up to 1 BqL~(-1) and concentrations of gross alpha radioactivity up to 3 Bq L~(-1) were also measured. The values obtained were compared with the reference data for acceptable drinking water. The effective dose values due to the intake of these radioelements through water consumption were estimated to range from about 1.5 to 28 μSv y~(-1). The contribution of mineral water to overall exposure from natural sources is only 0.2 up to 1.2%.