Age-dependent dose and health risk due to intake of uranium in drinking water from Jaduguda, India

Uranium is a heavy metal that is not only radiologically harmful but also a well-known nephrotoxic element. In this study, occurrence of uranium in drinking water samples from locations near the uranium mining site at Jaduguda, India, was studied by Laser-induced fluorimetry. Uranium concentrations range from 0.03 0.01 to 11.6 1.3 g l(l), being well within the US Environmental Protection Agency drinking water limit of 30 g l(1). The ingestion dose due to the presence of uranium in drinking water for various age groups varies from 0.03 to 28.3 Sv y(1). The excess lifetime cancer risk varies from 4.310(8) to 1.710(5) with an average value of 4.810(6), much less than the acceptable excess lifetime cancer risk of 10(3) for radiological risk. The chemical risk (hazard quotient) has an average value of 0.15 indicating that the water is safe for drinking.