A theoretical model for the flux of radon from rock to ground water

Wanty, Richard B.; Lawrence, Errol P.; Gundersen, Linda C.

doi:10.1130/spe271-p73

Cited by 17 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“… 15 , 36 , 55 Rock units with high levels of U have been identified as the source of Rn. 19 Our study is the first to demonstrate such an association between occurrence of groundwater U and Rn and granitic plutons at an intermediate spatial scale. This association is to be expected because U is enriched in granitic intrusions due to the preferential fractionation during partial melting of the protolith.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 54%

“…18 Health risks posed by Rn are thought to be insignificant from drinking water ingestion and are mostly attributed to the transfer of Rn into air and the subsequent inhalation. 17 , 19 , 20 Thus, factors including Rn concentrations in water ([Rn]), the amount of ingested water, the duration of exposure, house ventilation, and the water-to-air transfer factor all can affect health outcome. 18 , 21 In the U.S., 4400–22 000 fatal cancers were estimated from Rn in domestic water using a 1:10 000 air–water transfer factor.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… 36 Theoretical models, including porosity, U content of the rock, emanating efficiency, and rock density, have been developed to estimate the flux of Rn from rock to groundwater. 19 …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Uranium and Radon in Private Bedrock Well Water in Maine: Geospatial Analysis at Two Scales

Yang

Smitherman

Hess

et al. 2014

Environ. Sci. Technol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In greater Augusta of central Maine, 53 out of 1093 (4.8%) private bedrock well water samples from 1534 km2 contained [U] >30 μg/L, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for drinking water; and 226 out of 786 (29%) samples from 1135 km2 showed [Rn] >4,000 pCi/L (148 Bq/L), the U.S. EPA’s Alternative MCL. Groundwater pH, calcite dissolution and redox condition are factors controlling the distribution of groundwater U but not Rn due to their divergent chemical and hydrological properties. Groundwater U is associated with incompatible elements (S, As, Mo, F, and Cs) in water samples within granitic intrusions. Elevated [U] and [Rn] are located within 5–10 km distance of granitic intrusions but do not show correlations with metamorphism at intermediate scales (100−101 km). This spatial association is confirmed by a high-density sampling (n = 331, 5–40 samples per km2) at local scales (≤10–1 km) and the statewide sampling (n = 5857, 1 sample per 16 km2) at regional scales (102–103 km). Wells located within 5 km of granitic intrusions are at risk of containing high levels of [U] and [Rn]. Approximately 48 800–63 900 and 324 000 people in Maine are estimated at risk of exposure to U (>30 μg/L) and Rn (>4000 pCi/L) in well water, respectively.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 54%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Uranium and Radon in Private Bedrock Well Water in Maine: Geospatial Analysis at Two Scales

Yang

Smitherman

Hess

et al. 2014

Environ. Sci. Technol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…For each stand-alone geological percent variable we define several corresponding geology and uranium variables that combine geological information with uranium information obtained from the National Uranium Resource Evaluation (NURE) Hydrogeochemical and Stream Sediment Reconnaissance 34 data, which are widely distributed consistently analyzed point-source data intending to represent average bedrock 238 U. 38 The geology and uranium variable H j (l) (s; Λ) is calculated for geological feature (l) within the ellipse (s, Λ) as the product of the geological percent variable G i (l) (s; Λ) times the average uranium, or normalized uranium concentration, in that geological feature within the ellipse, i.e.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Estimation of Groundwater Radon in North Carolina Using Land Use Regression and Bayesian Maximum Entropy

Messier

Campbell

Bradley

et al. 2015

Environ. Sci. Technol.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Radon ((222)Rn) is a naturally occurring chemically inert, colorless, and odorless radioactive gas produced from the decay of uranium ((238)U), which is ubiquitous in rocks and soils worldwide. Exposure to (222)Rn is likely the second leading cause of lung cancer after cigarette smoking via inhalation; however, exposure through untreated groundwater is also a contributing factor to both inhalation and ingestion routes. A land use regression (LUR) model for groundwater (222)Rn with anisotropic geological and (238)U based explanatory variables is developed, which helps elucidate the factors contributing to elevated (222)Rn across North Carolina. The LUR is also integrated into the Bayesian Maximum Entropy (BME) geostatistical framework to increase accuracy and produce a point-level LUR-BME model of groundwater (222)Rn across North Carolina including prediction uncertainty. The LUR-BME model of groundwater (222)Rn results in a leave-one out cross-validation r(2) of 0.46 (Pearson correlation coefficient = 0.68), effectively predicting within the spatial covariance range. Modeled results of (222)Rn concentrations show variability among intrusive felsic geological formations likely due to average bedrock (238)U defined on the basis of overlying stream-sediment (238)U concentrations that is a widely distributed consistently analyzed point-source data.

show abstract

“…The diffusion coefficient of radon in water is 1000 times smaller than in the air. In situations where soil moisture is pronounced, the enrichment of soil in radon occurs, decreasing the radon flux to the atmosphere [24].…”

Section: Geology Of the Regionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Natural Radioactivity in Drinking Water Sources of the Republic of Moldova

Corețchi¹,

Plăvan²,

Virlan³

et al. 2017

RAD Conference Proceedings

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Pollution and contamination of drinking water potentially cause severe problems to health so the water quality management addresses both national and international action to assess and prevent associated hazards. A survey to study natural radioactivity in drinking water was carried out in the Republic of Moldova. Approximately 3111 samples of drinking water were analyzed between 1985-1999 and 2011-2015. The samples were categorized according to their origin: bottled or public supply. The samples were analyzed for gross beta, 220 Rn, 222 Rn, 137 Cs and 90 Sr activity. The activity concentration for gross beta was found to range from 0.41 to 1.53 Bq/L. The gross beta activity content in the majority of the samples is due to 40 K. Average concentrations of 137 Cs and 90 Sr activity in the studied waters ranged respectively from 0.02 to 3.2 Bq/L and 0.012 to 2.2 Bq/L. Regarding radon detection, the results showed that the average concentration of radon in artesian wells was 1.93 Bq/m 3 ; in the aqueduct water -3.12 Bq/m 3 ; in the spring waters -6.17 Bq/m 3 ; in wells -3.87 Bq/m 3 , in bottled water -0.1 Bq/l, in mine water -0.93 Bq/l and in the surface water ─ about 1 Bq/m 3 . It was stated that 222 Rn concentrations in the surveyed waters did not exceed the permissible values according to national rules and Directive 2013/59/EURATOM.

show abstract

A theoretical model for the flux of radon from rock to ground water

Cited by 17 publications

References 0 publications

Uranium and Radon in Private Bedrock Well Water in Maine: Geospatial Analysis at Two Scales

Uranium and Radon in Private Bedrock Well Water in Maine: Geospatial Analysis at Two Scales

Estimation of Groundwater Radon in North Carolina Using Land Use Regression and Bayesian Maximum Entropy

Natural Radioactivity in Drinking Water Sources of the Republic of Moldova

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About