Abstract (EN):
Radon can be found in various concentrations in soil, air and in different types of water like lakes, springs, wells and groundwater. The presence of radon in thermal and in mineral waters may result in an additional exposure to natural radiation due to both indoor radon and radon decay products present in the environmental air of spas facilities; health effects from exposure to radon in thermal spas depend mainly on radon inhalation. In fact, the European Commission has identified thermal spas as one the professional activities with higher exposure to radon. The purpose of this work was to access the concentration of radon in mineral waters from Portuguese thermal spas. A set of measurements for radon concentration levels in ground water are presented. The measurements were carried out at several locations from different thermal spas: perforation, spring, ORL (thermal inhalation therapy room), vichy shower and technical areas, between November 2013 and May 2014. Radon concentration in thermal water presented a wide range of variation, from values below the detection limit up to a maximum of 3601 Bq/L, which is above the European Commission recommendation value of 1000 Bq/L for drinking water (2001/928/EURATOM).
Idioma:
Português
Tipo (Avaliação Docente):
Científica
Contacto:
mldinis@fe.up.pt
Notas:
Eds. P. Arezes, J. S. Baptista, M. Barroso, P. Carneiro, P. Cordeiro, N. Costa, R. Melo, A. S. Miguel, G. Perestrelo, ISBN 978-1-138-02765-7.