학술논문
Dose Assessment of Radium-226 in Drinking Water from Mamuju, a High Background Radiation Area of Indonesia
Document Type
Journal Article
Author
Source
Radiation Environment and Medicine. 2020, 9(2):79
Subject
Language
English
ISSN
2423-9097
2432-163X
2432-163X
Abstract
Mamuju is an area of Indonesia with high radiation exposure compared to the average across the country. It is included in the high background radiation area (HBRA) category. Radium-226 (226Ra) is one of the natural radionuclides that, if contained in drinking water, can be harmful to human health. Mamujuʼs residents generally use well water for their daily needs. Radium-226 is easily soluble in water and emits alpha particles. Therefore, measurement of 226Ra in drinking water is necessary to protect the public from radiation. A total of 13 drinking water samples were obtained from the HBRA in Mamuju. They had a concentration range of 14–238 mBq L－1. These concentrations are below the World Health Organization recommendation, which is 1 Bq L－1, with an annual effective dose (mSv y－1) from the ingestion of 226Ra in water ranging between 3–49 µSv.