Occurrence of 222Rn, 226Ra, 228Ra and U in groundwater in Fujian Province, China

Rn-222, Ra-226, Ra-228 and U were determined in a total of 552 groundwater samples collected throughout Fujian Province of China. The geometric mean concentrations of Rn-222, Ra-226, Ra-228 and total U in the groundwater were 147.8 kBq m(-3), 12.7 Bq m(-3), 30.2 Bq m(-3) and 0.54 mug kg(-1), respectively. High groundwater Rn-222 was explained by the predominantly granitic rock aquifers in Fujian. A lifetime risk of 1.7x10(-3) was estimated for the ingestion of groundwater Rn-222. High ratios of Ra-228 to Ra-226 contents (geometric mean of 2.4) and their disproportion suggest that Ra-228 should also be measured in the assessment of population doses from drinking water in the regions of high rock or soil Th-232. NO significant correlation between the Rn-222 concentrations in groundwater and air was found. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.