Assessment of radon concentration and heavy metal contamination in groundwater of Udhampur district, Jammu & Kashmir, India

Radon concentration was measured in water samples of 41 different locations from Udhampur district of Jammu & Kashmir, India, by using RAD7 and Smart RnDuo monitor. The variation of radon concentration in water ranged from 1.44 +/- 0.31 to 63.64 +/- 2.88 Bq L-1, with a mean value of 28.73 Bq L-1 using RAD7 and 0.64 +/- 0.28 to 52.65 +/- 2.50 Bq L-1, with a mean value of 20.30 Bq L-1 using Smart RnDuo monitor, respectively. About 17.07% of the studied water samples recorded to display elevated radon concentration above the reference range suggested by United Nation Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiations (UNSCEAR). The mean annual effective dose of these samples was determined, and 78.95% samples were found to be within the safe limits set by World Health Organisation (WHO) and European Council (EU). The study revealed good agreement between the values obtained with two methods. Heavy metals (Zn, Cd, Fe, Cu, Ni, As, Hg, Co, Pb and Cr) were determined in water samples by microwave plasma atomic emission spectrometer, and their correlation with radon content was also analysed.