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Radon concentrations in the community groundwater system of South Korea

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Abstract

Groundwater samples were collected from 3818 wells used for the community groundwater system (CGS) in the remote rural areas of South Korea and analyzed to determine radon concentrations. Radon concentrations varied with rock type, ranging from 0.1 to 2393.5 Bq/L with an average of 86.6 Bq/L and a median of 46.4 Bq/L. Among 10 geological units, the median CGS radon concentration was highest (59.6–103.0 Bq/L) in granite, and lower in sedimentary rocks (16.9–21.1 Bq/L) and porous volcanic rocks (17.6 Bq/L), respectively. Of the 3818 samples, 26.1% exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) radon level limit of 100 Bq/L. The application of the natural radon reduction rate (26.5%) recently suggested by Yun et al. Applied Radiation and Isotopes, 126(1), 23–25 (2017) to the CGS water tank appeared to decrease exceedance of the WHO radon level limit to 20.2%. Because of the high radon concentrations in CGS groundwater in South Korea, the establishment of a radon level limit for drinking water is strongly recommended to ensure the health and safety of the people using CGS water.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER-SP2015-386) and the Korea Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources (Gp2015-014-2016(2)).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Korea Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources (KIGAM), 124, Gwahak-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, South Korea

    Byong Wook Cho, Jae Hong Hwang, Uk Yoon & Soo Young Cho

  2. National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER), Hwangyong-ro 42, Seogu, Incheon, South Korea

    Hyeon Koo Kim & Moon Su Kim

  3. Department of Geology, Kyungpook National University, 80, Daehak-ro, Bukgu, Daegu, South Korea

    Chang Oh Choo

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  1. Byong Wook Cho
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  2. Hyeon Koo Kim
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  3. Moon Su Kim
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  4. Jae Hong Hwang
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  5. Uk Yoon
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  6. Soo Young Cho
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  7. Chang Oh Choo
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Correspondence to Chang Oh Choo.

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Cho, B.W., Kim, H.K., Kim, M.S. et al. Radon concentrations in the community groundwater system of South Korea. Environ Monit Assess 191, 189 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-019-7301-y

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