TITLE:
Analysis of Health Risk Due to the Presence of Radioactivity and Chemical Elements in Groundwater, Aldama Municipality, Chihuahua, Mexico
AUTHORS:
Lourdes Villalba, Luis Colmenero-Sujo, Adan Pinales-Munguia, Guadalupe Estrada-Gutiérrez, Héctor Rubio-Arias, Fernando Mireles-Garcia, Ignacio Dávila-Rangel
KEYWORDS:
Dose; Fluorides; Nitrates; Public Health; Radioactivity; Well Water
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Environmental Protection,
Vol.4 No.11,
November
28,
2013
ABSTRACT: There exist potential health risks due
to the presence of some elements in groundwater. This study presents measurements
of gross alpha and beta activity and chemical concentrations (fluorides and
nitrates) in 25 water wells in Aldama municipality, Chihuahua, Mexico. Total alpha
and beta emitter analyses were performed at the Academic Unit of Nuclear
Studies at the Autonomous University of Zacatecas. Radioactive elements were
concentrated by total evaporation. All samples were measured with a Wallac-Oy
1411 liquid scintillate with a pulse separation option (Pulse Shape Analysis)
for 6 h. Fluorine and nitrate analyses were performed at the Faculty of
Engineering of the Autonomous University of Chihuahua by flow injection-hydride generation
collection-atomic absorption spectrometry. Exposure levels were calculated for
each well and found to exceed maximum limits allowed under Mexican law in terms
of 1) gross alpha and beta activity; and 2) fluoride and nitrate concentrations. Gross alpha activity in two
wells exceeded the reference value of 0.56 Bq·L-1. Fluorides and nitrates were found
in 40% and 48% of water wells, respectively. Fluoride values were higher than
1.5 mg·L-1, and the
exposure doses for adults and children exceeded the reference value of 0.06 mg·kg-1·d-1. Children are the most vulnerable, since their intake doses are near or above of 0.12 mg·kg-1·d-1 of the minimum level of risk for
the development of skeletal fluorosis or bone fractures. On the other hand,
while nitrate concentrations in water wells exceeded the drinking water limit
of 10 mg·L-1, this does
not represent a serious health risk, since the calculated exposure doses for
adults and children are below the chronic reference level of 1.6 mg·kg-1·d-1established by the USEPA.