Estimation of U, 226Ra, and 210Po Concentrations in Cauvery River Basin, South Interior Karnataka Region, India

Abstract

The radioactivity concentration of ²¹⁰Po, ²²⁶Ra, and U in Cauvery river basin was analyzed using radiochemical analysis, emanometry, and LED fluorimetry, respectively. Due to transfer with water in cracks and pores, leaching, and heavy usage of phosphate fertilizers, ²¹⁰Po, ²²⁶Ra, and U radionuclides get into the environmental samples studied. The ²¹⁰Po concentration ranges from 0.7 ± 0.11 to 5.0 ± 0.7 and from 0.83 ± 0.12 to 5.2 ± 0.8 mBq L^–1; the ²²⁶Ra concentration, from 11.7 ± 1.8 to 62 ± 9 and from 10.5 ± 1.6 to 68 ± 10 mBq L^–1; and the U concentration, from 0.08 ± 0.01 to 4.4 ± 0.7 and from 2.0 ± 0.3 to 7.4 ± 1.1 ppb in river and borewell water samples, respectively.