Uranium Content Anomalies in Groundwater of Moga District of Malwa Belt of Punjab (India) for the Assessment of Excess Cancer Risk

Abstract

Inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICPMS) has been used to measure the Uranium (U) content of the ground water samples of Moga district of Malwa belt of Punjab, India. Out of the total number of habitations covered under this survey, 203 were having U content more than 30 ppb (WHO safe limit). Out of 203 habitations, we sorted out 56 with U concentration of more than 100 ppb in groundwater. The U content of ground water of Moga district was used to assess the radiological and chemical risk due to U ingestion to the population of the district. The U content of water samples of the villages selected for our investigation varied from 100.20 to 346.70 ppb (μgl^-1) with an average value of 166.11 ppb. The excess cancer risk varied from 2.84×10^-4 to 9.82×10^-4, with an average value of 5.49×10^-4. The Lifetime Average Daily Dose (LADD) varied from 5.80 to 12.06 (μg kg⁻¹ day⁻¹) and hazard quotient varied from 1.28 to 4.43, respectively.

Keywords: AERB limit, cancer risk, chemical risk, radiological risk, Uranium (U) content

Cite this Article

Hardev Singh Virk. Uranium Content Anomalies in Groundwater of Moga District of Malwa Belt of Punjab (India) for the Assessment of Excess Cancer Risk. Research & Reviews: Journal of Oncology and Hematology. 2019; 8(3): 18–24p.