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Uranium and 226Ra in drinking water supplied by Finnish waterworks

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 January 2012

J. Barescut ,
D. Lariviere ,
T. Stocki ,
T. Turtiainen ,
M. Muikku ,
P. Vesterbacka  and
T. Heikkinen
T. Turtiainen
Affiliation:
STUK–Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, P.O. Box 14, FI-00881 Helsinki, Finland
M. Muikku
Affiliation:
STUK–Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, P.O. Box 14, FI-00881 Helsinki, Finland
P. Vesterbacka
Affiliation:
STUK–Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, P.O. Box 14, FI-00881 Helsinki, Finland
T. Heikkinen
Affiliation:
STUK–Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, P.O. Box 14, FI-00881 Helsinki, Finland
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Abstract

In a survey on uranium and 226Ra concentrations in water distributed by Finnish waterworks, 548 samples were analysed that covered drinking water networks servicing 84% of all consumers. Among all consumers, the mean and median uranium concentrations at the point of use were 0.58 and 0.15 μg L–1. The mean uranium concentration in drinking water produced from groundwater was 0.88 μg L–1, and when surface water was used in production the mean concentration was only 0.15 μg L–1. 226Ra concentrations were generally below our detection limit of 0.01 Bq L–1. The annual effective doses to the public arising from these radionuclides were only a few microsieverts, and the 0.1 mSv limit laid down in the EU Drinking Water Directive was not exceeded in any of the studied water distribution networks.

Type
Research Article
Information
Radioprotection , Volume 46 , Issue 6: ICRER 2011 – International Conference on Radioecology & Environmental Radioactivity: Environment & Nuclear Renaissance , 2011 , pp. S255 - S263
Copyright
© Owned by the authors, published by EDP Sciences, 2011

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