Radiological health risk maps of drinking water in Diyarbakır city, Türkiye

Quantifying Radon-222 (Rn-222), gross alpha (alpha) and beta (beta) emitting radionuclides in drinking water is crucial for assessing water quality and potential long-term impacts on human health. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the radiological characteristics and the spatial distribution of drinking water samples from Diyarbak & imath;r province, T & uuml;rkiye using the geostatistical approach. The measurements of Rn-222 and gross alpha/beta were scrutinized using a radon gas analyzer (AlphaGUARD PQ 2000 PRO) and a gas proportionate alpha/beta counter (Berthold, LB 770 model). Spatial distribution maps were generated through the Ordinary Kriging method to visualize these parameters. The values of Rn-222, gross alpha and beta activity in drinking water were established to be in the range of 258-1393 mBq L-1, 12-243 mBq L-1 and 32-380 mBq L-1, respectively. The associated averages of the total annual effective dose (AEDt(otal)) and total lifetime cancer risk (LCRtotal), of drinking water were estimated to be 59.56 mu Sv y(-1) and 2.57E - 04, respectively. Although the average LCRtotal was below the WHO threshold (3.85E - 04), it remained above the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) limit (1E - 04). These outcomes highlight the need for ongoing monitoring and further investigation of local water supplies to safeguard public health.