Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Measuring Carbon-based Contaminant Mineralization Using Combined CO2 Flux and Radiocarbon Analyses
Published on: October 21, 2016
Soil-groundwater radon dynamics and their potential human health risk
Aya Rais1, Abdellaali Tairi2, Mohammed Hssaisoune2,3,4
1Applied Geology and Geo-Environment Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences, Ibn Zohr University, 80035, Agadir, Morocco. aya.rais@edu.uiz.ac.ma.
Abstract:
The present study investigates radon concentrations in spring-water and soil-gas to evaluate the associated radiological health risks in the High-Atlas (HA) and the Anti-Atlas (AA), using RAD7 detector. The gas concentrations in spring-water varied from 2.26 to 27.03 Bq/L in the HA, and from 3.43 to 138.87 Bq/L in the AA. Comparison with international thresholds shows that three samples in the HA exceeded the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) recommended guideline of 11.1 Bq/L, whereas fourteen samples in the AA surpassed this value, with three exceeding the WHO (World Health Organization) threshold of 100 Bq/L. Soil-gas radon measurements were conducted to investigate the correlation between subsurface radon and groundwater radon concentrations. Soil-gas radon activities in the HA were generally below 10 kBq/m3, while the AA reached up to 30 kBq/m3, particularly in granitic areas. Annual effective doses (AED) from ingestion and inhalation were calculated for different age groups, revealing higher exposure in the AA region and in several locations, the AEDs exceeded the recommended 0.1 mSv/y guideline. The spatial correlation between elevated soil-gas radon and groundwater radon concentrations suggests a strong geogenic influence of lithology and structural features. These findings highlight that in the AA, radon concentrations in groundwater and soil-gas are significantly higher than in the HA, and suggest a positive correlation between soil-gas and groundwater radon concentrations. These results emphasize the need for monitoring radon and implementing preventive measures in regions characterized by radon-prone geological formations.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Biological Effects of Radiation
Soil Microbial Ecology
Types of Toxins
Air pollutants, primarily gases, pose significant threats to respiratory health, leading to conditions like hypoxia, lung cancer, and in extreme cases, death.
Environmental pollutants like...
Microbial Bioremediation of Uranium
Radiation Pressure: Problem Solving
The average value of the rate of momentum transfer divided by the absorbing area represents the average force per...
The Soil Ecosystem

