Indian Journal of Pure and Applied Physics

Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access

Assessment of Uranium Concentration in Drinking Water around Khetri Copper Mine Region in Rajasthan, India


Affiliations
1 Centre of Radio Ecology & Department of Physics, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar, Haryana 125 001, India
2 Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, J.C. Bose University of Science and Technology, YMCA Faridabad, Haryana 121 006, India
 

Due to serious consequences for human health, it's crucial to know how much uranium (U) is present in our drinking water. The samples of water from various means, viz., hand pumps (HP), tube wells (TB), and public submersible pumps (PSP) from depths of 190 to 1200 feet, with an average depth of 694feet around the Khetri Copper mine in the Sikar and Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan, India have been tested for Physico-chemical contents and their uranium levels. The Pulsed LED Fluorimetry method is used to determine the U conc. in water samples. Uranium levels in water samples have been measured to range from 0.68 - 233 µg/l. The U conc. in 28.34% of samples is higher than the WHO & USEPA recommended limit of 30 µg/l and 18.34% of the samples have U conc. higher than the AERB threshold limit of 60µg/l. The annual effective dose is also calculated and its mean value is found to be12.29 µSv/y due to the ingestion of ground-water. The average cancer mortality risk and average morbidity risk are found to be 9.5×10-5 to 1.47×10-4 lower than the threshold limit of 1.67×10-4 indicating the absence of carcinogenic risks. The chemical risk estimated in terms of LADD (life-time average daily dose) value is found to be in the range of 0.05–17.15 µg/kg/day. The Hazard Quotient (HQ) for 18.34% of samples is found greater than unity which indicates the health risk due to the chemical toxicity of U in groundwater. Total Dissolve Salts (TDS) values in some of the water samples are greater than the acceptable limits for drinking water recommended by BIS (500-2000 ppm).

Keywords

Groundwater, LED Fluorimetry, Mining Zone, Physicochemical Parameters, Risk Factor, Uranium.
User
Notifications
Font Size

  • Abdellah W M, Diab H M, El-Kameesy S U, Salama E & El-Framawy S, Isot Environ Health Stud, 53 (2017) 427.

  • International Commission on Radiological Protection, Compendium of dose coefficients based on ICRP Publication 60, Publication 119, Ann ICRP 41, (2012) 1.

  • Klein C & Cornelius S H J, Manual of Mineralogy, 20th Edn, ISBN 0–471, 80580, Wiley, New York, (1985) 307.

  • Hakonson-Hayes A C, Fresquez P R & Whicker F W, J Environ Radioact, 59 (2002) 29.

  • Yalcin S, Gurler O, Akar U T, Incirci F, Kaynak G & Gundogdu O, Isot Environ Health Stud, 47 (2011) 438.

  • Duran S U, Kucukomeroglu B, Damla N, Taskin H, Celik N, Cevik U & Ersoy H, Isot Environ Health Stud 53 (2017) 91.

  • Babu M S, Somashekar R K, Kumar S A, Shivanna K, Krishnamurthy V & Eappen K P, Int J Environ Sci Technol, 5 (2008) 263.

  • USEPA, United States Environmental Protection Agency, Guidance for Data Quality Assessment, EPA QA/G-9, Section 4.7, Washington, DC, USA, (2000).

  • Singh B, Kataria N, Garg V K, Yadav P, Kishore N & Pulhani V, Toxicol Environ Chem, 96 (2014) 1571.

  • Sánchez A, Martın M P, Montero R, Escobar V G & Vargas M J, Appl Radiat Isot, 50 (1999) 1049.

  • WHO, Life in the 21st century: A vision for all, Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization, (1998).

  • Cothern R C & Lappenbusch W L, Health Phys, 45 (1983) 89.

  • ATSDR, Toxilogical profile for uranium, Atlanta, Georgia: US Department of Health and Human Services, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, (1999).

  • WHO (World Health Organization), Meeting the MDG Drinking Water and Sanitation Target: The Urban and Rural Challenge of the Decade, World Health Organization, Geneva, (2008).

  • Tanner A B, Radon migration in the ground: a supplementary review, No. CONF-780422, 1 (1980).

  • Somogyi G, Technical Reports Series No. 310, IAEA, Vienna, 1 (1990) 229.

  • Zamora M L, Tracy B L, Zielinski J M, Meyerhof D P & Moss M A, Toxicol Sci, 43 (1998) 68.

  • Mehra R, Gupta D & Jakhu R, J Radiat Nucl Appl, 2 (2017) 67.

  • Bajwa B S, Kumar S, Singh S, Sahoo S K & Tripathi R M, J Radiat Res Appl Sci, 10 (2017) 13.

  • Duggal V, Sharma S & Singh A, Groundwater Sustain Develop, 13 (2021) 100577.

  • Pant D, Tirumalesh K, Roy A, Sinha U K, Singh M, Jain S K & Tripathi R M, J Radioanal Nucl Chem, 322 (2019) 165.

  • Rani A, Singh S, Duggal V & Balaram V, Radiat Prot Dosim, 157 (2013) 146.

  • Rathore D P S, Explor Res Atom Min, 23 (2013) 207.

  • Rathore D P S, Tarafder P K, Kayal M & Kumar M, Analytica Chimica Acta, 434 (2001) 201.

  • Sahoo S K, Mohapatra S, Chakrabarty A, Sumesh C G, Jha V N, Tripathi R M & Puranik V D, Radiat Prot Dosim, 136 (2009) 108.

  • Kumar A, Kaur M, Mehra R, Sharma S, Rosaline M, Singh K P & Bajwa B S, J Radioanal Nucl Chem, 310 (2016 793.

  • Daulta R, Singh B, Kataria N & Garg V K, Human Ecol Risk Assess: Int J, 24 (2018) 1115.

  • BIS (Bureau of Indian Standards), Drinking water – Specification, IS 10500, (Second revision), India, (2012).

  • WHO,“Guidelines for drinking-water quality (4th Edn.)”, Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization, (2011).

  • Panghal A, Kumar A, Kumar S, Singh J, Sharma S, Singh P, Mehra R & Bajwa B S, Radiat Eff Def Sol, 172 (2017) 441.

  • USEPA (United State Environmental Protection Agency), Draft Guidelines for Carcinogen RiskAssessment (Review Draft, July 1999), Risk Assessment Forum, Washington, DC, USA, (1999).

  • HDR, Human Development Report, Mumbai, India: National Resource Centre for Urban Poverty and All India Institute of Local Self Government, (2009).

  • Lee J S, Chon H T & Kim K W, Environ Geochem Health, 27 (2005) 185.

  • Health Canada,Uranium in drinking water, Document for Public Comment Prepared by Federal Provincial Subcommittee on Drinking Water, Ottawa, ON, Canada, (1999).

  • Dang H S, Jaiswal D D, Parameswaran M & Krishnamony S, Physical, Anatomical, Physiological and Metabolic data for reference Indian man-a proposal, No. BARC--1994/E/043. Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, (1994).

  • AERB, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, Directive for limit on uranium in drinking water, India, Mumbai: AERB, (2004).

  • WHO (World Health Organisation), Uranium in drinking water, background document fordevelopment of WHO guidelines for drinking water quality, World Health Organization, Geneva, (2011).

  • United States Environmental Protection Agency, Edition of the Drinking Water Standards and Health Advisories, EPA 820-R-11-002, Office of Water, USEPA, (2011).

  • UNSCEAR (United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation) (1982) Ionizing Radiation, Sources and Biological Effects, New York, NY, USA, (1982).

  • ICRP, International Commission on Radiological Protection, Annals of the ICRP 23(2), ICRP Publication 65, Pergamon Press, Oxford, (1993).

  • Mehra R, Singh S & Singh K, Radiat Meas, 42 (2007) 441.

  • Tripathi R M, Sahoo S K, Mohapatra S, Lenka P, Dubey J S & Puranik V D, J Radioanal Nucl Chem, 295 (2013) 1195.


Abstract Views: 65

PDF Views: 50




  • Assessment of Uranium Concentration in Drinking Water around Khetri Copper Mine Region in Rajasthan, India

Abstract Views: 65  |  PDF Views: 50

Authors

Naresh Kumar
Centre of Radio Ecology & Department of Physics, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar, Haryana 125 001, India
Bhupesh Khyalia
Centre of Radio Ecology & Department of Physics, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar, Haryana 125 001, India
Rekha Dhiman
Centre of Radio Ecology & Department of Physics, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar, Haryana 125 001, India
Jyoti Yadav
Centre of Radio Ecology & Department of Physics, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar, Haryana 125 001, India
Balvinder Singh
Centre of Radio Ecology & Department of Physics, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar, Haryana 125 001, India
Vivek Gupta
Centre of Radio Ecology & Department of Physics, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar, Haryana 125 001, India
Renuka Gupta
Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, J.C. Bose University of Science and Technology, YMCA Faridabad, Haryana 121 006, India
Ranjeet Dalal
Centre of Radio Ecology & Department of Physics, Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar, Haryana 125 001, India

Abstract


Due to serious consequences for human health, it's crucial to know how much uranium (U) is present in our drinking water. The samples of water from various means, viz., hand pumps (HP), tube wells (TB), and public submersible pumps (PSP) from depths of 190 to 1200 feet, with an average depth of 694feet around the Khetri Copper mine in the Sikar and Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan, India have been tested for Physico-chemical contents and their uranium levels. The Pulsed LED Fluorimetry method is used to determine the U conc. in water samples. Uranium levels in water samples have been measured to range from 0.68 - 233 µg/l. The U conc. in 28.34% of samples is higher than the WHO & USEPA recommended limit of 30 µg/l and 18.34% of the samples have U conc. higher than the AERB threshold limit of 60µg/l. The annual effective dose is also calculated and its mean value is found to be12.29 µSv/y due to the ingestion of ground-water. The average cancer mortality risk and average morbidity risk are found to be 9.5×10-5 to 1.47×10-4 lower than the threshold limit of 1.67×10-4 indicating the absence of carcinogenic risks. The chemical risk estimated in terms of LADD (life-time average daily dose) value is found to be in the range of 0.05–17.15 µg/kg/day. The Hazard Quotient (HQ) for 18.34% of samples is found greater than unity which indicates the health risk due to the chemical toxicity of U in groundwater. Total Dissolve Salts (TDS) values in some of the water samples are greater than the acceptable limits for drinking water recommended by BIS (500-2000 ppm).

Keywords


Groundwater, LED Fluorimetry, Mining Zone, Physicochemical Parameters, Risk Factor, Uranium.

References