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Quantification and assessment of health risk due to ingestion of uranium in groundwater of Jammu district, Jammu & Kashmir, India

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Abstract

The uranium content in groundwater being used for drinking purposes in Jammu district, Jammu & Kashmir, India has been measured by using LED fluorimetric technique to determine associated carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risk for inhabitants of this area. Uranium concentration and age dependent ingestion dose varied from 0.18 to 20.81 µg l−1 and 0.16 to 42.46 µSv year−1, being well within the recommended limits suggested by different health agencies of the world. The physico-chemical properties (TDS, EC and pH) have also been measured and correlated with obtained uranium concentration. Hence, the groundwater can be considered to be safe for consumption by public.

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Acknowledgments

Authors express their gratitude to Board of Research and Nuclear Sciences, Mumbai, for providing financial assistance under a major research project (Project No. 2013/36/60-BRNS) for this work. Authors are also profoundly grateful to D.A.V College, Amritsar and National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar for their support in carrying out the experimental work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, DAV College, Katra Sher Singh, Amritsar, Punjab, 143001, India

    K. Ajay

  2. Department of Physics, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar, Punjab, 144011, India

    K. Manpreet, M. Rohit & S. Sumit

  3. Radiological Physics & Advisory Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, 400085, India

    M. Rosaline

  4. Central Ground Water Board, North Western Himalayan Region, Jammu (J&K), 180004, India

    Kanwar P. Singh

  5. Department of Physics, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, Punjab, 143005, India

    Bikramjit S. Bajwa

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Ajay, K., Manpreet, K., Rohit, M. et al. Quantification and assessment of health risk due to ingestion of uranium in groundwater of Jammu district, Jammu & Kashmir, India. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 310, 793–804 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-016-4933-z

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