Radon measurement and age-independent effective dose attributed to ingestion of bottled water in Iran: sensitivity analysis

A comprehensive study was made to measure the radon concentration in bottled water available in Iran market. The 222Rn concentration in 70 bottled water samples were measured by the sniffing mode technique and RTM1688-2 (SARAD, Germany) in immediate sampling time and 3 months later for determination of radon decay. The measured radon concentration ranged from 0.003 to 0.618 Bq L-1 in bottled water samples, which were much lower than the recommended value for radon in drinking water by WHO (100 Bq L-1) and United states environmental protection agency (USEPA) (11.1 Bq L-1). The annual effective dose of 222Rn due to ingestion bottled water was also evaluated in this research. The mean annual effective dose due to ingestion of radon in bottled water for adults, children, and infants were estimated to vary from 5.30x10(-4) mSv(-1), 4.90x10(-4) mSv(-1), and 2.15x10(-4) mSv(-1), respectively. Overall, this study indicated that the Iranian people receive no significant radiological risk due to exposure to radon concentration in bottled water brands common consumed in Iranian market.

Automated summary

This study comprehensively measured the radon concentration in bottled water available in the Iran market. The results showed that the radon concentration in the samples was much lower than the recommended values by WHO and USEPA. Therefore, the radon concentration in common bottled water brands consumed in Iran poses no significant radiological risk to the Iranian people.