IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 2056: Health Risk of Polonium 210 Ingestion via Drinking Water: An Experience of Malaysia

IJERPH, Vol. 15, Pages 2056: Health Risk of Polonium 210 Ingestion via Drinking Water: An Experience of Malaysia International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health doi: 10.3390/ijerph15102056 Authors: Minhaz Farid Ahmed Lubna Alam Che Abd Rahim Mohamed Mazlin Bin Mokhtar Goh Choo Ta The presence of toxic polonium-210 (Po-210) in the environment is due to the decay of primordial uranium-238. Meanwhile, several studies have reported elevated Po-210 radioactivity in the rivers around the world due to both natural and anthropogenic factors. However, the primary source of Po-210 in Langat River, Malaysia might be the natural weathering of granite rock along with mining, agriculture and industrial activities. Hence, this is the first study to determine the Po-210 activity in the drinking water supply chain in the Langat River Basin to simultaneously predict the human health risks of Po-210 ingestion. Therefore, water samples were collected in 2015–2016 from the four stages of the water supply chain to analyze by Alpha Spectrometry. Determined Po-210 activity, along with the influence of environmental parameters such as time-series rainfall, flood incidents and water flow data (2005–2015), was well within the maximum limit for drinking water quality standard proposed by the Ministry of Health Malaysia and World Health Organization. Moreover, the annual effective dose of Po-210 ingestion via drinking water supply chain indica...
Source: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Article Source Type: research