Retracted article: Age-dependent radiation dose due to uranium in public drinking water in Hyderabad, India

A study was done to evaluate the ingestion dose due to uranium in drinking water. The area of study is the twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad, India. The uranium concentration in water samples was analysed by laser-induced fluorimetry. The associated age-dependent radiation dose was estimated by taking the prescribed water intake values and dose conversion factors for different age groups. The concentration of uranium varies from below the detection limit (detection limit = 0.20 mu g.L-1) to 2.50 +/- 0.18 mu g.L-1, with a geometric mean of 0.67 mu g.L-1 in tap water, whereas in groundwater the range is 0.60 +/- 0.05 to 82 +/- 7.1 mu g.L-1 with a geometric mean of 10.07 mu g.L-1. The annual ingestion dose by the drinking water pathway due to uranium in tap water for various age groups was found to vary from 0.23 to 6.35 mu Sv.y(-1) with an average of 1.08 mu Sv.y(-1). The ingestion dose due to uranium in tap water is 15 times lower than that of groundwater consumption.