Determination of natural radionuclides in drinking waters in i̇zmi̇r province and the contribution of the annual radiation dose

In this thesis, 226Ra, 210Pb and 210Po activity concentrations which were found naturally in the drinking and ground water of İzmir and the average amount of people absorbed by taking into consideration the data of the WHO were calculated. Radioactive materials occur naturally in the environment (for example uranium, thorium and potassium). In addition, some radioactive compounds may also occur or increase in human activities (eg use of radioactive substances in medicine and industry, use of phosphated fertilizers in agriculture, thermal power plant using fossil fuels). Drinking water should be safe in terms of taste odor appearance as well as in terms of health. World Health Organisation (WHO) and Turkish Standards (TSE) have established maximum contaminant levels for gross alpha and gross beta. In this study, 226Ra, 210Pb and 210Po, which are natural radionuclides, were analyzed in tap and ground water samples. Water samples were taken from İzmir province (10 ground, 32 tap water). The concentrations of 226Ra, 210Pb and 210Po in water were found between 5.0-177.1, 1.0-34.4, 1.0-18.2 mBq/L respectively. These values are below the limits given by the World Health Organization (WHO).