Pinti, Daniele Luigi; Retailleau, Sophie; Barnetche, Diogo; Moreira, Floriane; Moritz, Anja; Larocque, Marie; Gélinas, Yves; Lefebvre, René; Hélie, Jean-François et Valadez, Arisai (2014). ²²²Rn activity in groundwater of the St. Lawrence Lowlands, Quebec, eastern Canada: relation with local geology and health hazard. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity , vol. 136 . pp. 206-217. DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2014.05.021.
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One hundred ninety-eight groundwater wells were sampled to measure the ²²²Rn activity in the region between Montreal and Quebec City, eastern Canada. The aim of this study was to relate the spatial distribution of ²²²Rn activity to the geology and the hydrogeology of the study area and to estimate the potential health risks associated with ²²²Rn in the most populated area of the Province of Quebec. Most of the groundwater samples show low ²²²Rn activities with a median value of 8.6 Bq/L. Ninety percent of samples show ²²²Rn activity lower than 100 Bq/L, the exposure limit in groundwater recommended by the World Health Organization. A few higher ²²²Rn activities (up to 310 Bq/L) have been measured in wells from the Appalachian Mountains and from the magmatic intrusion of Mont-Saint-Hilaire, known for its high level of indoor radon. The spatial distribution of ²²²Rn activity seems to be related mainly to lithology differences between U-richer metasediments of the Appalachian Mountains and magmatic intrusions and the carbonaceous silty shales of the St. Lawrence Platform. Radon is slightly enriched in sodium-chlorine waters that evolved at contact with clay-rich formations. 226Ra, the parent element of ²²²Rn could be easily adsorbed on clays, creating a favorable environment for the production and release of ²²²Rn into groundwater. The contribution of groundwater radon to indoor radon or by ingestion is minimal except for specific areas near Mont-Saint-Hilaire or in the Appalachian Mountains where this contribution could reach 45% of the total radioactive annual dose.
| Type de document: | Article |
|---|---|
| Mots-clés libres: | radon; radium; groundwater; Quebec; Mont-Saint-Hilaire; health hazards |
| Centre: | Centre Eau Terre Environnement |
| Date de dépôt: | 11 avr. 2018 15:09 |
| Dernière modification: | 11 avr. 2018 15:09 |
| URI: | https://espace.inrs.ca/id/eprint/3659 |
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