Radon Activity Concentration in Drinking Water in Tuzla City, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Abstract

Radon is a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas. It is formed naturally from the decay of radioactive elements, such as uranium, which are found in different amounts in soil and rock throughout the world. Radon gas in the soil and rock can move into the air and into underground water and surface water. In this paper the results of measurements of radon activity concentration in drinking water from drilled wells in Tuzla City, Bosnia and Herzegovina are presented. The obtained results of radon activity concentration in drinking water samples ranged from 182 mBqL -1 to 2368 mBqL -1 which does not exceed the value of 11.1 BqL -1 recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency for drinking water. The measurements of radon activity concentration were conducted with AlphaGUARD and AquaKIT equipment (Genitron Instruments).