Measurement of radium and radon gas in bottled mineral waters

In this study, the radon gas and radium concentration in the bottled mineral water samples was measured. A total of sixty samples were collected from bottled mineral water sold in the markets in Kahramanmaraş. DURRIDGE Rad7 electronic radon detector was used for measurements. Radon and radium activity amounts range from 33.50 ± 1.30 mBq/L to 51.70 ± 2.20 mBq/L, and 2.92 ± 0.15 mBq/L to 4.51 ± 0.26 mBq/L, respectively. Average radon and radium active amounts are 41.67 ± 1.54 mBq/L and 3.63 ± 0.18 mBq/L, respectively. Total annual effective dose values were calculated for these mineral waters according to three different scenarios. In the first of these, it was assumed that natural mineral water was consumed annually instead of 730 L of drinking water (S1). In the second case, 150 L which was the annual average amount of natural mineral water consumed in European Union member countries was used for the annual average amount of natural mineral water consumed by adults (S2). Finally, the annual average amount of natural mineral water consumed in Turkey, 14 L, was used for adults (S3). For scenarios (S1, S2, S3), the total (ingestion + inhalation) annual average dose values ranged from 6.83E-04 mSv/y to 1.05E-03 mSv/y, 1.40E-04 mSv/y to 2.17E-04, and 1.32E-05 mSv/y to 2.03E-05 mSv/y, their average values were 8.49E-04 mSv/y, 1.75E-04 mSv/y, and 1.64E-05 mSv/y, respectively. The total effective dose values calculated within the scope of the current study were below the limit value announced by WHO.