Assessment of Radon Concentration in Groundwater and Ingestion Dose in Settlements Located Near Uranium Mining-Affected Areas
Ibrayeva D. Bakhtin M.
October 2025Springer Nature
Water, Air, and Soil Pollution
2025#236Issue 10
The contamination of water resources is particularly alarming in areas near industrial or mining activities. The purpose of study to assess radon levels in water samples from wells and boreholes in settlements near uranium mining areas, and to estimate the annual effective dose from ingestion to evaluate potential health risks. This pilot study assessed radon concentrations in groundwater from 24 drinking water sources (wells and boreholes) across three settlements near uranium mining areas: Aqsu, Zavodskoy, and Saumalkol. Radon concentration ranged from 5 ± 1 Bq/L to 1185 ± 355 Bq/L, with the highest levels detected in Saumalkol. The annual effective dose from ingestion was calculated using dose conversion factors from ICRP 137 (6.9 × 10⁻1⁰ Sv/Bq) and UNSCEAR 2000 (3.5 × 10⁻⁹ Sv/Bq). Estimated doses ranged from 19 to 300 µSv/y (ICRP) and 99 to 1 600 µSv/y (UNSCEAR). While Aqsu and Zavodskoy remained within or near WHO safety thresholds (100 µSv/year), Saumalkol exceeded them, indicating a potential public health risk. These findings highlight the impact of uranium mining on groundwater quality and the need for targeted environmental monitoring and health protection measures.
Boreholes , Radon concentration , Uranium mining area , Water samples
Text of the article Перейти на текст статьи
Scientific Research Institute of Radiobiology and Radiation Protection, nJSC Astana Medical University, Astana, Kazakhstan
Scientific Research Institute of Radiobiology and Radiation Protection
10 лет помогаем публиковать статьи Международный издатель
Книга Публикация научной статьи Волощук 2026 Book Publication of a scientific article 2026