Annual effective dose and associated health risk estimation using gross alpha and Beta activity concentrations in bottled mineral water in Morocco

Abstract

 

Water usually contains small quantities of radioactivity. The presence of significant levels of radioactivity in drinking water sources poses potential health risks to the public. Consequently, determining the concentrations of gross alpha and gross beta activity in water is essential for ensuring water safety. Thirteen commercially bottled mineral water samples were collected from Moroccan markets and analyzed using the Liquid Scintillation Counting technique, based on the ISO 11704:2018 method. The results show that the activity concentrations range from a minimum below the lower limit of detection to a maximum of 0.21 ± 0.02 and 0.15 ± 0.01 Bq·L⁻¹ for gross alpha and gross beta, respectively. The concentrations of anions and cations are within recommended limits for drinking water. For each sample, the annual effective dose was calculated and lifetime cancer risks were estimated. The levels of the annual effective dose and lifetime cancer risk were all below the World Health Organization’s recommended values for drinking water quality.

Highlights

• Natural radioactivity in Moroccan bottled mineral water is below acceptable limits for gross alpha and beta activity.

• Ionic Composition in the samples is within recommended drinking water limits.

• The annual effective dose from radiation exposure is within safety limits and aligns with low cancer risk thresholds.

• The mineral water samples are radiologically safe and pose no significant health risks to the public.