Research pick: No tap water radon risk for schoolchildren - "Health effect of radon gas in water on children at Al-Najaf schools"

A recent study conducted in schools in the Al-Najaf province of Iraq suggests that some drinking water in the region is contaminated with radon gas. The research, published in the International Journal of Nuclear Energy Science and Technology, considers the health implications for children aged 7 to 12 years old exposed to this radioactive element through their drinking water.

Rukia Jabar Dosh, Ali K. Hasan, and Ali Abid Abojassim of the University of Kufa in Al-Najaf, Kufa, Iraq, evaluated radon concentrations in water samples gathered from 37 districts. The team used a portable RAD-7 H2O detector to determine concentrations of radon-222 in the drinking water. Their data revealed an average concentration of 0.12±0.08 becquerels per litre, with readings ranging from 0.1 to 0.4 Bq/L. To assess the putative risk to the children of primary school age, the researchers calculated the Annual Effective Dose (AED) of radon inhaled and ingested by the children. They found this to be from 0.1 to 0.4 nanoSieverts per annum, which closely tracked the recorded radon concentration figures.

Importantly, the team compared their results with international safety standards and found that the majority of the analyzed samples either met safety levels or were better than the recommended safe dose. The radon concentrations mostly fell below the globally accepted standard of 0.5 Bq/l. In addition, the AED values calculated by the team were well within the permissible limits set by major global health and safety organizations. There were just two marginal exceptions among the samples from the 37 districts.

Despite potential fears to the contrary, the study suggests that primary school children drinking tap water in this region faced minimal health risks due to radon exposure. Even in cases where radon concentrations slightly surpassed recommended limits, the associated health implications were found to be negligible, a conclusion supported by the AED results, the team reports. Importantly, statistical analysis revealed no significant correlation between radon concentrations and factors such as the age of the school or whether it was a boys’ or girls’ school.

Dosh, R.J., Hasan, A.K. and Abojassim, A.A. (2023) ‘Health effect of radon gas in water on children at Al-Najaf schools’, Int. J. Nuclear Energy Science and Technology, Vol. 16, No. 2, pp.143–156.