Uranium isotopes in Tunisian bottled mineral waters

F Gharbi; S Baccouche; W Abdelli; M Samaali; M Oueslati; A Trabelsi

doi:10.1016/j.jenvrad.2010.03.001

Uranium isotopes in Tunisian bottled mineral waters

J Environ Radioact. 2010 Aug;101(8):589-90. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2010.03.001. Epub 2010 Apr 18.

Authors

F Gharbi¹, S Baccouche, W Abdelli, M Samaali, M Oueslati, A Trabelsi

Affiliation

¹ UR-MTDN, National Center for Nuclear Sciences and Technology, Pole Technologique, 2020 Sidi Thabet, Tunisia. foued.gharbi@cnstn.rnrt.tn

PMID: 20400212
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2010.03.001

Abstract

(234)U and (238)U activity concentrations and their relative effective doses have been determined in 10 bottled mineral waters in Tunisia. Alpha spectrometry was used as technique to measure uranium isotopes. The obtained isotopic ratio (234)U/(238)U varies between 1.1 and 3 which means that the two isotopes are not in radioactive equilibrium. Measured activity concentration varies between 3.2 and 40 mBq/l for (234)U and between 1.5 and 26.3 mBq/l for (238)U. Effective doses (assuming 2 litres per day of water consumption) coming from this two isotopes are found to vary between 0.16 and 2.02 microSv/a which is lower than the maximum recommended dose level by the WHO.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Food Contamination, Radioactive / analysis*
Mineral Waters / analysis*
Tunisia
Uranium / analysis*
Water Pollutants, Radioactive / analysis*
Water Supply / analysis

Substances

Mineral Waters
Water Pollutants, Radioactive
Uranium