Estimation of Radiation Dose and Lifetime Risk from Gross Alpha/Beta Radioactivity in Drinking Water in Şırnak City, Türkiye

Nevzat Damla; Cafer Mert Yeşilkanat; Halim Taşkın; Ümit Işık; Caner Tekin

doi:10.17776/csj.1746864

Estimation of Radiation Dose and Lifetime Risk from Gross Alpha/Beta Radioactivity in Drinking Water in Şırnak City, Türkiye

Abstract

The research aimed to evaluate the radiological quality of drinking water in Şırnak city, Türkiye. A gas proportional α/β counter (Berthold, LB 770 model) was employed to quantify the gross α and β activities in a total of seven drinking water samples. The findings revealed that the average gross α and β activities were 27 mBq/L (range: 19-35 mBq/L) and 117 mBq/L (range: 24-534 mBq/L), respectively. The age-dependent annual effective dose (AED) resulting from the ingestion of drinking water in Şırnak was meticulously estimated. The calculated average total AED values (alpha+beta) were 9.5 μSv/y for infants, 22.1 μSv/y for children, and 46.2 μSv/y for adults. The average lifetime risk of radiation-induced cancer (LTR) for the population was found to be 1.7×10⁻⁴. Overall, the study concluded that the radiological parameters in Şırnak city's drinking water were within the permissible limits recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). These findings provide significant assurance that the drinking water in the region is safe for consumption, concerning radiation exposure. Furthermore, the results imply that existing water treatment and monitoring systems are effective in maintaining radiation levels within safe limits. The study highlights the importance of regular testing and evaluation of water quality to protect public health.

Keywords

References

[1] United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), Sources and effects of ionizing radiation, Report to the General Assembly with Scientific Annex Vol. II: Effects, New York (NY), United Nations, (2000).
[2] Belli M., Indovina L., The response of living organisms to low radiation environment and its implications in radiation protection, Front Public Health, 8 (2020) 601711.
[3] Dragović S., Artificial neural network modeling in environmental radioactivity studies – A review, Sci Total Environ, 847 (2022) 157526.
[4] 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, 12 (1) (2024) 1-8.
[5] Goodarzi A.A., Anikin A., Pearson D.D., Environmental sources of ionizing radiation and their health consequences. In: Genome Stability (eds. I, K. and O, K.) Elsevier, (2016) 712
[6] World Health Organization (WHO), Guidelines for drinking-water quality. 4th ed. incorporating the 1st addendum, Geneva, WHO (2017).
[7] Zaim N., Camtakan Z., Kiremitçioğlu Ş., Standard addition method for the rapid analysis of 226Ra, gross alpha–beta and total radium isotope activities in surface water of Maritsa River, Türkiye, J Radioanal Nucl Chem, 333 (2024) 4137–4149.
[8] Turhan Ş., The natural radioactivity in drinking water by gross alpha and beta measurements and radiological quality assessment, Radiochim Acta, 108 (6) (2020) 491-498.

[9] Abbasi A., Mirekhtiary F., Gross alpha and beta exposure assessment due to intake of drinking water in Guilan, Iran, J Radioanal Nucl Chem, 314 (2) (2017) 1075–1081.
[10] Bello S., Nasiru R., Garba N.N., Adeyemo D.J., Annual effective dose associated with radon, gross alpha and gross beta radioactivity in drinking water from gold mining areas of Shanono and Bagwai, Kano state, Nigeria, Microchem J, 154 (2020) 104551.
[11] Damla N., Altun A., Yesilkanat C.M., Taskin H., Isık U., Spatial distribution modeling of radiometric analysis and radiation dose estimations in drinking water and soil samples from Siirt city in Türkiye, Hum Ecol Risk Assess, 29 (7-8) (2023) 1044–1063.
[12] Pintilie V., Ene A., Georgescu L.P., Morar L., Iticescu C., Measurements of gross alpha and beta activity in drinking water from Galati region, Romania, Rom Rep Phys, 68 (3) (2016) 1208–1220.
[13] Karahan G., Kapdan E., Bingöldağ N., Ataksor B., Taşkın H., Orhan N., Bıyık R., Environmental radioactivity measurements in Bartın province, North Anatolia Region, Turk J Nucl Sci, 31 (1) (2019) 42-48.
[14] Madzunya D., Dudu V.P., Mathuthu M., Manjoro M., Radiological health risk assessment of drinking water and soil dust from Gauteng and North West Provinces, in South Africa, Heliyon, 6 (2) (2020) e03392.
[15] Kezo P.C., Konate I., Dali T.P., Public effective dose assessment using gross alpha and beta radioactivity levels of tap drinking water in the district of Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, J Environ Prot, 14 (3) (2023) 127-138.
[16] Küçükömeroğlu B., Şen A., Uzun Duran S., Çiriş A., Taskin H., Ersoy H., Determination of radioactivity level of water supply network in Trabzon province, Turkey, Isot Environ Healt Stud, 57 (6) (2021) 610-622.
[17] Söğüt Ö., Alnashar M.S., Eyicil M., Selçuk Zorer Ö., Pollution and health risk evaluations from gross radioactivity in drinking waters in Reyhanlı district, Hatay, Water Air Soil Pollut, 233 (2022) 309.
[18] Vučković B., Todorović N., Nikolov J., Radovanović D., Kevkić T., Assessment of radiation risk from drinking water at public fountains on the wider territory of Kruševac, Publ Nat Sci, 9 (1) (2019) 72-76.
[19] Qwasmeh A.A.H., Saleh B.A.A., Radiation dose and lifetime risk for radiation-induced cancer due to natural radioactivity in tap water from Jordan, Radiat Environ Biophys, 62 (2) (2023) 279-285.
[20]Kapdan E., Altinsoy N., Taskın H., Karahan G., Radioactivity survey and risk assessment study for drinking water in capital city Ankara, Turkey, Int J Environ Anal Chem, 104 (16) (2024) 4748–4760.
[21] Ong J.X., Kok J.Z.I., Lee K.K.M., Chng K.R., Wu Y., Chan J.S.H., Evaluation of tritium, gross alpha and gross beta radioactivity levels in tap and bottled drinking water in Singapore, J Radioanal Nucl Chem, 334 (2025) 667-677.
[22] Teğin İ., Yolbaş I., Acar O., Assessment of gross alpha and beta activity levels and element concentrations in spa waters from Siirt and Şırnak, Turkey, J Radioanal Nucl Chem, 31 (2017) 109–119.
[23]TurkStat, Turkish Statistical Institute, Population statistics Available at: http://www.turkstat.gov.tr/UstMenu.do?metod=temelist .Retrieved December 12, 2024.
[24]URL-1 [WWW Document] Available at: https://webdosya.csb.gov.tr/db/ced/icerikler/s-rnak_-cdr2017-20181030134812.pdf. Retrieved December 28, 2024. (in Turkish)
[25]ALPHA, Standards methods for the examination of water and wastewater, 20th edition. Water Works Association and Water Environment Federation, Washington (1996).
[26]Krieger H.L., Whittaker E.L., Prescribed procedures for measurement of radioactivity in drinking water, EPA-600/4-80-032, US Environmental Protection Agency, Cincinnati, Ohio (1980).
[27] Akbulut S., Taskin H., Determination of natural radioactivity by gross α and β measurements in tap waters in Rize province, J Radioanal Nucl Chem, 303 (1) (2015) 413-420.
[28]Kobya Y., Taskin H., Yesilkanat C.M., Çevik U., Karahan G., Çakır B., Radioactivity survey and risk assessment study for drinking water in the Artvin province, Turkey, Water Air Soil Pollut, 226 (3) (2015) 49.
[29]Turgay M.E., Yazici A.N., Taskin H., Kam E., Karahan G., Assessment of gross α and β radioactivity for drinking water in Hatay province, Turkey, Desalin Water Treat, 57 (11) (2016) 4960-4965.
[30]Uzun Duran S., Kucukomeroglu B., Damla N., Taskin H., Celik N., Cevik U., Ersoy H., Radioactivity measurements and risk assessments of spa waters in some areas in Turkey, Isot Environ Health Stud, 53 (1) (2017) 93-101.
[31] Damla N., Yeşilkanat C.M., Kaya R., Taşkın H., Işık U., Aldemir K., Radiological health risk maps of drinking water in Diyarbakır city, Türkiye, Int J Environ Health Res, 35(11) (2025) 3233–3249.
[32] International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). The 2007 recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection. ICRP Publication 103, Ann ICRP, 37 (2-4) (2007) 1–332.
[33] TurkStat, Turkish Statistical Institute, Life Tables. Available at: https://data.tuik.gov.tr/Bulten/Index?p=Hayat-Tablolari-2021-2023-53678. Retrieved December 30, 2024.
[34] Karahan G., Taşkın H., Bingöldağ N., Kapdan E., Yılmaz Y., Environmental impact assessment of natural radioactivity and heavy metals in drinking water around Akkuyu Nuclear Power Plant in Mersin Province, Turk J Chem, 42 (3) (2018) 735–747.
[35]Hancerliogullari A., Turhan Ş., Kurnaz A., Evaluation of the Lifetime Cancer Risk Due to Natural Radioactivity in Tap Water Consumed in Nevşehir Province, Turkey, Bitlis Eren Üniversitesi Fen Bilimleri Dergisi (in Turkish), 8 (2019) 46-48.
[36]Al-Shboul K.F., Alali A.E., Batayneh I.M., Al-Khodire H.Y., Radiation hazards and lifetime risk assessment of tap water using liquid scintillation counting and high-resolution gamma spectrometry, J Environ Radioact, 178–179 (2017) 245-252.
[37] Mingote R.M., Nogueira R.A., Da Costa H.F., Gross alpha and beta activities in drinking water from Goiás state, Brazil, Braz J Radiat Sci, 7 (3) (2019) 1–11.
[38]Todorović N., Nikolov J., Stojković I., Hansman J., Vranicar A., Kuzmanovic P., Pantic T.P., Samolov K.A., Lucic S., Bjelovic S., Radioactivity in drinking water supplies in the Vojvodina region, Serbia, and health implications, Environ Earth Sci, 79 (7) (2020) 162.
[39]Sang C., An W., Sørensen P.B., Han M., Hong Y., Yang M., Gross alpha and beta measurements in drinkable water from seven major geographical regions of China and the associated cancer risks, Ecotox Environ Safe, 208 (2021) 111728.

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Radiophysics

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Nevzat Damla
0000-0003-1253-597X
Türkiye

Cafer Mert Yeşilkanat ^*
0000-0002-7508-7548
Türkiye

Halim Taşkın
0000-0002-5195-1477
Türkiye

Ümit Işık
0000-0003-2889-2832
Türkiye

Caner Tekin
0000-0002-3106-5582
Türkiye

Publication Date

December 30, 2025

Submission Date

July 21, 2025

Acceptance Date

September 23, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 1970 Volume: 46 Number: 4

DOI

https://doi.org/10.17776/csj.1746864

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA69SW64UD

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Damla, N., Yeşilkanat, C. M., Taşkın, H., Işık, Ü., & Tekin, C. (2025). Estimation of Radiation Dose and Lifetime Risk from Gross Alpha/Beta Radioactivity in Drinking Water in Şırnak City, Türkiye. Cumhuriyet Science Journal, 46(4), 931-936. https://doi.org/10.17776/csj.1746864