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Radiotoxicity risks of radium-226 (226Ra) on groundwater-based drinking at Dawaki, Kuje, Giri and Sabon-Lugbe area of Abuja, North Central Nigeria

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An Erratum to this article was published on 13 September 2016

Abstract

In this study, 226Ra and heavy metal concentrations were studied to represent the radiotoxicity risk of groundwater of Abuja, North Central Nigeria. Groundwater samples were collected from five areas in Abuja, and measurements were taken by using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. Radium (226Ra) concentrations were determined from 0.067 to 0.216 µg/L. The mean annual effective dose from the natural radionuclide of 226Ra for the inhabitants was estimated to be 2.2 × 10−5 mSv. In addition, life average daily dose and cancer mortality risk were calculated. As a result, radiological risks of 226Ra in groundwater are quite low, typically in the magnitude of 10−7 when compared with the international reference dose level.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Management of Covenant University for the financial assistance to execute this research. More thanks to the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) for their funding through Universiti Teknologi Malaysia Research Grant Scheme Project Number: Q.J130000.2526.03H65. Thanks to Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Parit Raja for providing equipment for water analysis. The authors will gratefully acknowledge the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency and Federal Ministry of Water Resources for their support in this work. The authors wish to thank SYB Sinyoung Borehole Limited for providing the rig and compressor used in drilling the boreholes and Maxico Hydrosolution consult for providing the Campus Ohmega tetrameter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, College of Science and Technology, Covenant University, KM 10, Idiroko Road, Canaan Land, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria

    O. Maxwell & E. S. Joel

  2. Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), 81310, Skudai, Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia

    O. Maxwell & Husin Wagiran

  3. Faculty of Science, Technology and Human Development, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400, Parit Raja, Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia

    Embong Zaidi

  4. Department of Civil Engineering, College of Engineering, Covenant University, P.M.B 1023, Ota, Ogun State, Nigeria

    I. T. Tenebe

  5. Department of Geology, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria

    I. A. Oha & O. S. Onwuka

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  1. O. Maxwell
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  2. Husin Wagiran
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  3. Embong Zaidi
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  4. E. S. Joel
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  5. I. T. Tenebe
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  6. I. A. Oha
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  7. O. S. Onwuka
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Correspondence to O. Maxwell.

Additional information

An erratum to this article is available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12665-016-6037-z.

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Maxwell, O., Wagiran, H., Zaidi, E. et al. Radiotoxicity risks of radium-226 (226Ra) on groundwater-based drinking at Dawaki, Kuje, Giri and Sabon-Lugbe area of Abuja, North Central Nigeria. Environ Earth Sci 75, 1084 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-016-5884-y

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