Natural Radioactivity in Bottled Mineral Water Available in Australia

摘要

The levels of naturally-occurring radioactive elements in bottled mineral water, commercially available in Australia, have been assessed. The survey concentrated upon exp 226 Ra, exp 228 Ra and exp 210 Pb, radionuclides which have a high toxicity in drinking water. Detectable levels of exp 226 Ra were found to range from 0.02Bq/1 to 0.32Bq/1 in locally-bottled water and from 0.02Bq/1 to 0.44Bq/1 in imported brands. exp 210 Pb levels were found to be generally very low (<0.08Bq/1). It was concluded that the exp 228 Ra content of bottled water will have a similar distribution to that of exp 226 Ra. Concentrations of exp 228 Ra in excess of 0.7Bq/1 were measured in a number of samples. The radiological health implications of the consumption of bottled mineral water are discussed with reference to existing drinking water standards and also in terms of radiation exposure and the increased risk to health. It was concluded that, although some brands of water contain radioactivity in excess of the drinking-water limits recommended by Australian and overseas authorities, the annual radiation dose to an individual will be below the dose-equivalent limits recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection for life-long exposure. The increased risk of radiation-induced fatal disease due to the consumption of bottled mineral water is estimated to be less than 10 exp -5 and is therefore negligible. (Atomindex citation 13:645052)