Radiological Assessment of Selected Borehole Water in Bori Metropolis, Rivers State, Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63561/jber.v3i1.1190Keywords:
Containers, Assessment, Consumption, Energy, MetropolisAbstract
Evaluation of radiological hazards was carried out to assess the radionuclide content in borehole water from some randomly selected locations in Bori metropolis, Khana Local Government Area, Rivers State. A total of twenty water samples were collected into sterilized sample containers (50 cl). The collected samples were well packed, stored in a refrigerator (4oC) for twenty-four hours, and transported to the Centre for Energy Research and Development (CERD) laboratory, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, for analysis. Results indicated that radionuclides present in the borehole water and their mean activity concentrations are: 40K (137.16±7.64), 232Th (2.14±0.41), and 238U (5.61±0.91) Bql-1. Mean annual effective dose, annual effective dose equivalent, annual gonad dose equivalent, and radium equivalent are 9.605 nGyh-1, 11.777mSvy-1, 69.343 Bql-1, and 19.25 Bql-1 respectively. Mean external hazard index, internal hazard index, representative gamma index, and excess lifetime cancer risk are (0.052), (0.067), (0.149) mSvy-1, and 41.218 E-3 respectively. Mean activity concentration of 40K and 232Th exceeded reference limits of 10 and 0.1 Bql-1 respectively, while 238U was within refence limit of 10 Bql-1. The borehole water across the sample locations is harmful and unsafe for human consumption because all radiological hazards studied exceeded the reference limits (UNSCEAR, 2000). It is recommended that safe water supplies be provided for the inhabitants of the study area.
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