Assessment of Uranium Concentration in Drinking Water around Khetri Copper Mine Region in Rajasthan, India

Due to serious consequences for human health, it's crucial to know how much uranium (U) is present in our drinking water. The samples of water from various means, viz., hand pumps (HP), tube wells (TB), and public submersible pumps (PSP) from depths of 190 to 1200 feet, with an average depth of 694feet around the Khetri Copper mine in the Sikar and Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan, India have been tested for Physico-chemical contents and their uranium levels. The Pulsed LED Fluorimetry method is used to determine the U conc. in water samples. Uranium levels in water samples have been measured to range from 0.68 - 233 & mu;g/l. The U conc. in 28.34% of samples is higher than the WHO & USEPA recommended limit of 30 & mu;g/l and 18.34% of the samples have U conc. higher than the AERB threshold limit of 60 & mu;g/l. The annual effective dose is also calculated and its mean value is found to be12.29 & mu;Sv/y due to the ingestion of ground-water. The average cancer mortality risk and average morbidity risk are found to be 9.5x10-5 to 1.47x10-4 lower than the threshold limit of 1.67x10-4 indicating the absence of carcinogenic risks. The chemical risk estimated in terms of LADD (life-time average daily dose) value is found to be in the range of 0.05-17.15 & mu;g/kg/day. The Hazard Quotient (HQ) for 18.34% of samples is found greater than unity which indicates the health risk due to the chemical toxicity of U in groundwater. Total Dissolve Salts (TDS) values in some of the water samples are greater than the acceptable limits for drinking water recommended by BIS (500-2000 ppm).