Uranium estimation in drinking water samples from some areas of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, India using ICP-MS.

The uranium concentration in drinking water samples collected from areas of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh has been measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The sources of water comprise hand pumps and tube wells. The uranium concentration lies in the range of 1.24-45.42 µg l(-1) with a mean value of 14.91 µg l(-1) in drinking water samples from Punjab and 0.56-10.11 µg l(-1) with a mean value of 2.17 µg l(-1) in Himachal Pradesh. The measured uranium content in 4 % water samples from Punjab has been found to be higher than the limit of 30 µg l(-1) recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and US Environmental Protection Agency. However, the uranium concentration in all the water samples from Himachal Pradesh is well below the recommended limit. The annual effective dose associated with drinking water due to uranium concentration is estimated from its annual intake using dosimetric information based on International Commission on Radiological Protection 72. The resulting value of the annual effective dose from drinking water sources is in the range of 0.33-37.78 µSv, which is well within the limit of 100 µSv recommended by the WHO.