Natural radioactivity present in scale samples of water supply systems ducts

• Grant number: 06/06191-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2006
• End date: April 30, 2007
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Analytical Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Barbara Paci Mazzilli
• Grantee: Eliade Amanda Alves
• Host Institution: Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN). Secretaria de Desenvolvimento Econômico (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Recent investigations have shown that concentrations of some naturally occurring radioactive isotopes actually increase relative to source waters within some old drinking water supply systems. The explanation for this apparent anomaly is that certain types of mineral scale concentrate radium that exists at low concentration in groundwater. The radium then decays to gaseous radon that escapes into the water and decays to subsequent radioisotopes. This project aims to address this issue in two ways: (1) to determine the concentration of Ra-226 and Ra-228 in scale samples and (2) to determine the radon concentration in the spots were the radium concentration is high.