Assessment of Radon-222 Concentration in Ground Water from Dogarawa, Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria

Abstract

Water is an essential component of life but unfortunately most people especially in rural settings don’t have knowledge of the  radiological purity of the water they utilize. This research aims to characterize the ground water of Dogarawa for the presence of  Radon-222 using Sodium Iodide (NaI) scintillation detector. Thirty (30) samples of ground water (well and borehole) were collected and  analyzed for radon concentration using Tri-carb 1000 TR liquid scintillation analyzer. The Annual Effective Dose (AED) and Excess Life time  Cancer Risk (ELCR) to the people in the community were calculated. It was found that the mean Radon Concentration of the ground water  analyzed was 27.19 BqL-1. The mean Annual Effective Dose (AED) to infants, children and adults due to this concentration was  found to be 0.3473, 0.2977 and 0.1984 mSvy-1 respectively. Furthermore, the resulting Excess Life time Cancer Risk (ELCR) to infants,  children and adults was found to be 0.000955, 0.000819 and 0.000546 respectively. These results showed that the ground water utilized by  people of Dogarawa is radiologically safe according to the guidelines on radiological safety parameters provided by some  internationally recognized agencies/organizations. However, relative to some other guidelines, caution and action should be taken to  reduce the radon concentration of the ground water. As such more research, using different methods should be carried out on the  ground water of Dogarawa while the population is also enlightened on the dangers of the radioactive contamination of water and ways  to mitigate it.