Health Physics Division, Health Safety & Environment Group, BARC, Mumbai, 400085, India.
Homi Bhabha National Institute, Anushaktinagar, Mumbai, 400094, India.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2024 Jul;31(35):47461-47474. doi: 10.1007/s11356-024-34352-0. Epub 2024 Jul 15.
The detection of uranium in drinking water has ignited concerns among the public, regulators, and policymakers, particularly as around 1% of the 55,554 water samples in India have shown uranium levels surpassing the 60 µg/l guideline established by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) based on radiological toxicity. Further, the Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS), has given a limit of 30 µg/l, which is derived from World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. Besides the chemical and radiological aspects associated with uranium, factors such as technological constraints in water purification, waste management, environmental factors, and socio-economic conditions significantly influence these guideline values, which are often overlooked. This manuscript explores the variations in approaches for establishing guideline values and highlights the uncertainties arising from dependence on various variables such as intake and usage patterns, inter- and intra-species distinctions, and epidemiological data. A critical analysis indicates that adherence to global guidelines may result in some undesirable environmental issues. By considering factors such as population dynamics, socio-economic conditions, and geological influences, we suggest that limit of 60 µg/l for uranium in drinking water is appropriate for India.
饮用水中铀的检测引发了公众、监管机构和政策制定者的关注，特别是因为在印度的 55554 个水样中，约有 1%的水样铀含量超过了根据放射毒性由印度原子能监管局（AERB）制定的 60μg/l 指导值。此外，印度标准局（BIS）规定的限值为 30μg/l，这是根据世界卫生组织（WHO）的指导值得出的。除了与铀有关的化学和放射性方面，水净化、废物管理、环境因素和社会经济条件等方面的技术限制也会对这些指导值产生重大影响，但这些因素往往被忽视。本文探讨了制定指导值的方法的变化，并强调了依赖各种变量（如摄入和使用模式、种间和种内差异以及流行病学数据）所带来的不确定性。批判性分析表明，遵守全球指南可能会导致一些环境问题。考虑到人口动态、社会经济条件和地质影响等因素，我们建议印度饮用水中铀的限值为 60μg/l 是合适的。
