Assessment of Radon - 222 Activity Concentration and Associated Effective Doses in Groundwater Sources in BIU, Borno State, Nigeria

Abstract

This research titled “Assessment of Radon - 222 Activity Concentration and Associated Effective doses in Groundwater Sources in Biu, Borno State, Nigeria” Were carried out in Biu due it geological nature that contains sedimentary rock basement and the good number of population attracted from near by villages due to insurgence. This studies investigates the concentration of Radon-222 Activity in groundwater sources used for domestic purposes. Fifteen (15) water samples were collected from wells and boreholes across selected locations  within Biu Metropolis . The percentage  of borehole to well water sample collected is at the ratio of (70 to 30 )%. The  samples were analyzed using a Liquid Scintillation Counter (Tri-Carb-LSA1000) at the Centre for Energy Research and Training (CERT), Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. It was observed in table 2,. Well water recorded a higher  concentration of 22.45 Bq/L  than borehole water 13.59 Bq/L  The highest value (22.5 Bq/L) occurred in Yawi, while the lowest (10 Bq/L) was found in Tasha Dan Fulani. The overall average concentration is found to be 14.77 Bq/L,which exceeds the USEPA (11.1 Bq/L) and WHO (10 Bq/L) permissible limits of the international safety limits.The overall Annual effective dose due to inhalation of Radon in the water sources is found to be less than the permissible limit of 100μSvy-1 set by WHO. Also, the overall AED due to ingestion of Radon is found to be higher than the WHO permissible limit of 100 μSvy-1 for adults and less than the permissible limit of 200 μSvy-1 for children