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Radioactivity Survey and Risk Assessment Study for Drinking Water in the Artvin Province, Turkey

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Abstract

In this study, 117 spring water samples, collected across the Artvin province, were analyzed for gross α and gross β radioactivity. The values of the activity concentrations of the gross α and gross β measured in the natural spring water samples ranged from 5 to 771 mBqL−1 with the mean of 46 mBqL−1 and from 13 to 808 mBqL−1 with the mean of 91 mBqL−1. All values of measured water samples except one were within the limits, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Gross alpha- and beta-interpolated values of the region were determined and mapped by using the Kriging method. In addition to the measured gross alpha and beta activity result of natural spring water samples, for each sample, annual effective dose equivalent was calculated and lifetime cancer risks were estimated. Our study showed that two values of water samples exceeded WHO limits and lifetime cancer risk due to the water radioactivity ranges between 1.3×10−5 and 20.6×10−4 with the mean of 10.1×10−5.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Cekmece Nuclear Research and Training Centre (CNEAM) and the Artvin Çoruh University research grant (BAP-2013.F42.02.05). Also, the authors would like to thank Dr. Sabit Korcak for his assistance during water sample collection and for his cooperation to perform this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Engineering, Energy Systems Engineering, Artvin Çoruh University, 08000, Artvin, Turkey

    Yaşar Kobya

  2. Cekmece Nuclear Research and Training Centre, TAEK, Halkali, 34303, Istanbul, Turkey

    Halim Taşkın & Gürsel Karahan

  3. Department of Physics, Faculty of Art and Science, Artvin Çoruh University, 08000, Artvin, Turkey

    Cafer Mert Yeşilkanat & Bakiye Çakır

  4. Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Karadeniz Technical University, 61000, Trabzon, Turkey

    Uğur Çevik

Authors
  1. Yaşar Kobya
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  2. Halim Taşkın
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  3. Cafer Mert Yeşilkanat
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  4. Uğur Çevik
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  5. Gürsel Karahan
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  6. Bakiye Çakır
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Correspondence to Yaşar Kobya.

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Kobya, Y., Taşkın, H., Yeşilkanat, C.M. et al. Radioactivity Survey and Risk Assessment Study for Drinking Water in the Artvin Province, Turkey. Water Air Soil Pollut 226, 49 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-015-2344-3

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