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Advance application of liquid scintillation counter to estimate radon concentration in groundwater

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Abstract

Radon (222Rn) is radium’s immediate radioactive decay product (226Ra) in the uranium decay series. Radon is classified as a group 1 carcinogen due to its hazard to human health, and the evaluation of radon concentrations has become essential. Therefore, an advanced method was applied to a liquid scintillation counter (Hidex 300SL) to measure the radon concentration in groundwater. The estimated radon concentration was between 0.1 and 3.20 Bq/L, with an average of 0.96 Bq/L and with a standard deviation of 0.82 Bq/L. The estimated radon concentrations are in the safe range recommended by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC). However, the values are far below the safe range set by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCARE), European Commission (EC), and World Health Organization (WHO) standards. Nevertheless, the estimated radon concentration by this advanced application ensured no risk of radon exposure from the groundwater of the tested area.

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Data availability

The dataset used in this study is available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request except for data that are subject to third-party restrictions.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Deanship of Scientific Research, University of Hafr Al Batin, for the experimental facilities.

Funding

This work is financially supported by the Institutional Funding Project (No: IFP-A-202-1-3) from the Ministry of Education, Saudi Arabia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, College of Science, University of Hafr Al Batin, Al Jamiah, Hafr Al Batin, 39524, Saudi Arabia

    Al Mamun

  2. Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Hafr Al Batin, Al Jamiah, Hafr Al Batin, 39524, Saudi Arabia

    Amira Salman Alazmi

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  1. Al Mamun
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  2. Amira Salman Alazmi
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Correspondence to Al Mamun.

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Responsible Editor: Broder J. Merkel

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Mamun, A., Alazmi, A.S. Advance application of liquid scintillation counter to estimate radon concentration in groundwater. Arab J Geosci 17, 34 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-023-11846-8

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