DETERMINATION OF 222 RN LEVEL IN GROUNDWATER USING A RAD7 DETECTOR IN THE BATHINDA DISTRICTOF PUNJAB, INDIA Vikas Duggal 1, *, Rohit Mehra 2 and Asha Rani 3 1 Department of Applied Sciences, Punjab Technical University, Jalandhar 144001, India 2 Department of Physics, Dr B. R. Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar 144001, India 3 Department of Applied Sciences, Ferozpur College of Engineering and Technology, Ferozshah, Ferozpur 142052, India *Corresponding author: vikasduggal86@yahoo.in Received October 27 2012, revised October 27 2012, accepted February 24 2013 Radon gas is a significant health threat linked to thousands of preventable deaths each year. In this paper, radon activitycon- centration is measured in 260 groundwater samples collected from 65 villages in the Bathinda district of Punjab State, India, using Rad7, an electronic radon detector (Durridge Co., USA). The radon concentration varies from 0.9 +0.2 to 5.1 +0.3 Bq l 21 with a mean value of 2.63 Bq l 21 . The recorded values of radon concentration in groundwater are within the safe limit of 11 Bq l 21 recommended by the US Environmental Protection Agency. The annual effective dose in stomach and lungs per person is also evaluated in this research. The estimated total annual effective dose of adults ranged from 8.82 to 49.98 mSv y 21 . The total annual effective dose from all locations of the studied area is found to be within the safe limit (0.1 mSv y 21 ), recommended by World Health Organisation and EU Council. INTRODUCTION Radon is a naturally occurring odorless, colorless and tasteless inert gas, which is imperceptible to our sense. It is produced continuously from the decayof naturally occurring radionuclide such as 238 U, 235 U and 232 Th. The isotope 222 Rn, produced from the decay of 238 U, is the main source ( 55 %) of internal radiation exposure to human life (1) . The radon content in groundwater sources depends on the radium concentration in the rock of the aquifer (2, 3) . Dissolved radon is contained in natural groundwater due to primordial uranium in rocks and soils with which it comes in contact (4) . Human beings are exposed to radon through inhalation and ingestion. Radon monitoring has been increasingly conducted worldwide because of the hazardous effects of radon on the health of human beings. In many situations such as showering, washing clothes and flushing toilets, radon is released from the water and mixes with the indoor air. The radon from water contri- butes to the total inhalation risk associated with radon in indoor air. Although radon in drinking water does not pose a direct health risk (5) . The expos- ure of population to high concentrations of radon and its daughters for a long period lead to patho- logical effects such as the respiratory functional changes and the occurrence of lung cancer (6) . However, avery high level of radon in drinking water can also lead to a significant risk of stomach and gastrointestinal cancer (7) . Many studies have been conducted worldwide to determine its concentration in different environmental media in order to reduce its adverse effects on the human beings (8 – 11) . Groundwater isthe primary source of drinking water for more than 95 % of the population in Punjab (12) . The aim of the present study is to investigate the radon concentrations in groundwater used for drink- ing and to determine the health hazards in the Bathinda district of Punjab, India. GEOLOGY OF AREA Bathinda District is located in the southern part of Punjab State, India. Figure 1 showing the study area in the Bathinda district, Punjab. It lies between 29833 0 and 30836 0 north latitude and 74838 0 and 75846 0 east longitude. The area also forms a part of the Indo- Gangetic alluvial plains. The alluvium comprises clay mixed with kankar, sandy clay and sand. The district is surrounded by Sangrur and Mansa districts in the east, Sirsa district of Haryana State in the south, Moga in the north-east and Faridkot and Muktsar districts in the north-west. MATERIALS AND METHODS In the present study, radon activity concentration is measured in 260 groundwater samples collected from 65 villages in the Bathinda district of Punjab, India, using Rad7, an electronic radon detector # The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com Radiation Protection Dosimetry (2013), pp. 1–7 doi:10.1093/rpd/nct054 Radiation Protection Dosimetry Advance Access published March 17, 2013 by guest on March 18, 2013 http://rpd.oxfordjournals.org/ Downloaded from