Radon 222Rn in drinking water of West Pomeranian Voivodeship and Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland

Abstract

Radon Rn-222 is a commonly occurring natural radionuclide found in the environment from uranium-radium radioactive series, which is the decay product of radium Ra-226. The presence of radon carries negative health effects. It is, in fact, classified as a carcinogen, and therefore, it is necessary to continuously monitor its concentration. The aim of this study was to determine the level of radon-222 concentration in water intended for human consumption in the two voivodeships of Poland: West Pomeranian and Kuyavian-Pomeranian. Measurements were performed for more than 60 intakes. The level of radon was measured by using the liquid scintillation counting method. The range of measured radon concentration in the water from the West Pomeranian Voivodeship was from 0.90 to 11.41 Bq/dm³ with an average of 5.01 Bq/dm³, while that from the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship was from 1.22 to 24.20 Bq/dm³ with an average of 4.67 Bq/dm³. Only in three water intakes, the concentration of radon-222 exceeded the value of 10 Bq/dm³. The obtained results allowed to conclude that population exposure associated with radon-222 in water is negligible and there is no need to take further action. In the case of three intakes where a higher concentration of radon was found, the potential exposure was low.