Radioactivity Survey and Risk Assessment Study for Drinking Water in the Artvin Province, Turkey

In this study, 117 spring water samples, collected across the Artvin province, were analyzed for gross α and gross β radioactivity. The values of the activity concentrations of the gross α and gross β measured in the natural spring water samples ranged from 5 to 771 mBqL−1 with the mean of 46 mBqL−1 and from 13 to 808 mBqL−1 with the mean of 91 mBqL−1. All values of measured water samples except one were within the limits, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). Gross alpha- and beta-interpolated values of the region were determined and mapped by using the Kriging method. In addition to the measured gross alpha and beta activity result of natural spring water samples, for each sample, annual effective dose equivalent was calculated and lifetime cancer risks were estimated. Our study showed that two values of water samples exceeded WHO limits and lifetime cancer risk due to the water radioactivity ranges between 1.3×10−5 and 20.6×10−4 with the mean of 10.1×10−5.