Radon concentration of different brands of bottled natural mineral water commercially sold in Turkey and radiological risk assessment

Abstract

The consumption of bottled natural mineral water has become more popular in Turkey due to the faith about the helpful medicinal and therapeutic impacts of mineral waters including various dissolved minerals. However, mineral water derived from groundwater contains natural radioactive radon gas which is one of the important sources of natural radiation. In this study, the activity levels of radon in forty-nine bottled natural plain and fruit-flavoured mineral water samples of twenty-two commercially brands sold in Turkish markets were determined using an active radon gas monitoring system. The pH, conductivity, salinity, and total dissolved solids of mineral water samples were also measured using standard laboratory methods. The total annual effective dose due to ingestion and inhalation of radon in mineral water samples was estimated for infants, children, and adults to assess the health risk caused by internal exposure. The activity concentrations of radon measured in mineral water samples varied from 30.6 to 57.6 mBq L−1 with an average of 43.1 ± 6.1 mBq L−1. The average total annual effective dose was found as 0.42, 0.26 and 0.36 µSv for infants, children and adults, respectively. All measured radon concentrations and estimated annual effective dose values are within the within recommended limits by the WHO and European Union for drinking water. It can be concluded that the effective radiation dose from the radon in bottled natural mineral water samples investigated is very low and creates a negligible health risk for the public.