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Evaluation of the Risk Associated with Drinkable Water Sources Through Analysis of Gross Alpha and Beta Radioactivity Levels in Chosen Locations, Mubi – North

Received: 29 February 2024    Accepted: 13 March 2024    Published: 2 April 2024
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Abstract

Ionizing radiation refers to a form of radiation with sufficient energy to dislodge tightly bound electrons from atoms, resulting in the formation of ions. It encompasses alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma rays. Exposure to ionizing radiation, especially through ingestion, can have detrimental effects on living organisms, including humans. The primary goal of this research is to measure and analyze the levels of alpha and beta radiation in water samples, using the obtained results to evaluate radiation concentrations. Water samples were collected from five different locations within Mubi-North Metropolis and analyzed using a desktop Alpha/Beta counting machine or detector (MPC 2000B-DP). The analysis results present the alpha and beta radiation activities in each sample location. For example, alpha activities ranged from 0.009844 Bq/L to 0.1821 Bq/L, and beta activities ranged from 0.04922 Bq/L to 10.21 Bq/L across different locations. Sample D recorded the highest alpha effective equivalent dose of 0.037mSv/y, while the lowest dose of 0.002mSv/y was recorded from sample D. Sample C had the highest beta effective equivalent dose of 5.143mSv/y, and the lowest dose of 0.329mSv/y was recorded from sample E. Sample C also recorded the highest total effective dose of 516mSv/y, while the lowest dose of 0.34mSv/y was from sample E. Only sample D exceeded the recommended screening level of 0.1mSv/y for Alpha, and only sample E recorded the lowest effective dose of 0.329mSv/y below the screening limit of 1.0mSv/y, indicating potential cancer risk for all samples except sample E. In summary, the study concludes that alpha activities in all collected samples are below the recommended screening levels for drinking water radioactivity set by organizations such as EPA, WHO, and GEG-FAO. However, beta activities in the samples, except for the one from Federal Polytechnic Reservoir, surpass the recommended screening levels, suggesting a potential health risk for individuals consuming water from those sources. Overall, the research provides valuable insights into alpha and beta radiation levels in water samples from various locations in Mubi-North Metropolis, highlighting the safety of alpha levels but indicating potential hazards in beta radiation levels.

Published in American Journal of Physics and Applications (Volume 12, Issue 1)
DOI 10.11648/j.ajpa.20241201.11
Page(s) 1-8
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Ionizing Radiation, Beta Activity, Alpha Activity, Concentration

References
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    Ibrahim, A. (2024). Evaluation of the Risk Associated with Drinkable Water Sources Through Analysis of Gross Alpha and Beta Radioactivity Levels in Chosen Locations, Mubi – North. American Journal of Physics and Applications, 12(1), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpa.20241201.11

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    Ibrahim, A. Evaluation of the Risk Associated with Drinkable Water Sources Through Analysis of Gross Alpha and Beta Radioactivity Levels in Chosen Locations, Mubi – North. Am. J. Phys. Appl. 2024, 12(1), 1-8. doi: 10.11648/j.ajpa.20241201.11

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    AMA Style

    Ibrahim A. Evaluation of the Risk Associated with Drinkable Water Sources Through Analysis of Gross Alpha and Beta Radioactivity Levels in Chosen Locations, Mubi – North. Am J Phys Appl. 2024;12(1):1-8. doi: 10.11648/j.ajpa.20241201.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ajpa.20241201.11,
      author = {Ahmadu Ibrahim},
      title = {Evaluation of the Risk Associated with Drinkable Water Sources Through Analysis of Gross Alpha and Beta Radioactivity Levels in Chosen Locations, Mubi – North},
      journal = {American Journal of Physics and Applications},
      volume = {12},
      number = {1},
      pages = {1-8},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ajpa.20241201.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpa.20241201.11},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajpa.20241201.11},
      abstract = {Ionizing radiation refers to a form of radiation with sufficient energy to dislodge tightly bound electrons from atoms, resulting in the formation of ions. It encompasses alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma rays. Exposure to ionizing radiation, especially through ingestion, can have detrimental effects on living organisms, including humans. The primary goal of this research is to measure and analyze the levels of alpha and beta radiation in water samples, using the obtained results to evaluate radiation concentrations. Water samples were collected from five different locations within Mubi-North Metropolis and analyzed using a desktop Alpha/Beta counting machine or detector (MPC 2000B-DP). The analysis results present the alpha and beta radiation activities in each sample location. For example, alpha activities ranged from 0.009844 Bq/L to 0.1821 Bq/L, and beta activities ranged from 0.04922 Bq/L to 10.21 Bq/L across different locations. Sample D recorded the highest alpha effective equivalent dose of 0.037mSv/y, while the lowest dose of 0.002mSv/y was recorded from sample D. Sample C had the highest beta effective equivalent dose of 5.143mSv/y, and the lowest dose of 0.329mSv/y was recorded from sample E. Sample C also recorded the highest total effective dose of 516mSv/y, while the lowest dose of 0.34mSv/y was from sample E. Only sample D exceeded the recommended screening level of 0.1mSv/y for Alpha, and only sample E recorded the lowest effective dose of 0.329mSv/y below the screening limit of 1.0mSv/y, indicating potential cancer risk for all samples except sample E. In summary, the study concludes that alpha activities in all collected samples are below the recommended screening levels for drinking water radioactivity set by organizations such as EPA, WHO, and GEG-FAO. However, beta activities in the samples, except for the one from Federal Polytechnic Reservoir, surpass the recommended screening levels, suggesting a potential health risk for individuals consuming water from those sources. Overall, the research provides valuable insights into alpha and beta radiation levels in water samples from various locations in Mubi-North Metropolis, highlighting the safety of alpha levels but indicating potential hazards in beta radiation levels.},
     year = {2024}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Evaluation of the Risk Associated with Drinkable Water Sources Through Analysis of Gross Alpha and Beta Radioactivity Levels in Chosen Locations, Mubi – North
    AU  - Ahmadu Ibrahim
    Y1  - 2024/04/02
    PY  - 2024
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpa.20241201.11
    DO  - 10.11648/j.ajpa.20241201.11
    T2  - American Journal of Physics and Applications
    JF  - American Journal of Physics and Applications
    JO  - American Journal of Physics and Applications
    SP  - 1
    EP  - 8
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2330-4308
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajpa.20241201.11
    AB  - Ionizing radiation refers to a form of radiation with sufficient energy to dislodge tightly bound electrons from atoms, resulting in the formation of ions. It encompasses alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma rays. Exposure to ionizing radiation, especially through ingestion, can have detrimental effects on living organisms, including humans. The primary goal of this research is to measure and analyze the levels of alpha and beta radiation in water samples, using the obtained results to evaluate radiation concentrations. Water samples were collected from five different locations within Mubi-North Metropolis and analyzed using a desktop Alpha/Beta counting machine or detector (MPC 2000B-DP). The analysis results present the alpha and beta radiation activities in each sample location. For example, alpha activities ranged from 0.009844 Bq/L to 0.1821 Bq/L, and beta activities ranged from 0.04922 Bq/L to 10.21 Bq/L across different locations. Sample D recorded the highest alpha effective equivalent dose of 0.037mSv/y, while the lowest dose of 0.002mSv/y was recorded from sample D. Sample C had the highest beta effective equivalent dose of 5.143mSv/y, and the lowest dose of 0.329mSv/y was recorded from sample E. Sample C also recorded the highest total effective dose of 516mSv/y, while the lowest dose of 0.34mSv/y was from sample E. Only sample D exceeded the recommended screening level of 0.1mSv/y for Alpha, and only sample E recorded the lowest effective dose of 0.329mSv/y below the screening limit of 1.0mSv/y, indicating potential cancer risk for all samples except sample E. In summary, the study concludes that alpha activities in all collected samples are below the recommended screening levels for drinking water radioactivity set by organizations such as EPA, WHO, and GEG-FAO. However, beta activities in the samples, except for the one from Federal Polytechnic Reservoir, surpass the recommended screening levels, suggesting a potential health risk for individuals consuming water from those sources. Overall, the research provides valuable insights into alpha and beta radiation levels in water samples from various locations in Mubi-North Metropolis, highlighting the safety of alpha levels but indicating potential hazards in beta radiation levels.
    VL  - 12
    IS  - 1
    ER  - 

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