RA-226 IN THERMAL AND MINERAL SPRINGS OF CROATIA AND ASSOCIATED HEALTH RISKS

Results of Ra-226 determination in thermal and mineral water springs, mostly spas and health, resorts, in the Republic of Croatia, are prese nted. These waters have been used on a large scale for medical and bat hing purposes; for therapy, rehabilitation and recreation, while miner al waters from several locations are also used for drinking. The Ra-22 6 content of thermal and mineral waters ranged from 0.07 to 4.40 Bq l( -1). In the spas in which waters were used both for bathing and drinki ng purposes, Ra-226 activities in some springs were found to exceed th e maximal permissible level of 1 Bg l(-1) for drinking water. On the a ssumption that a drinking cure contains 1 litre of mineral water daily for 1 week, the radium body burden originating from drinking this wat er would be on average 2.1 times higher than that originated from the consumption of 1 litre per day of tap water over 1 year. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Limited