Radioactivity in the community water supplies of Ife-Central and Ife-East local government areas of Osun State, Nigeria

The average concentrations of radionuclides in the various types of communi ty water supplies of the Ife-Central and Ife-East Local Government areas wi th a population of 200 000 people were estimated from the measurements of m ean specific activity using a well-calibrated Canberra vertical coaxial hig h-purity germanium detector system. Water samples were collected from dam, streams, boreholes, wells, tap water, etc., being the most frequently used water sources in the study area. The radionuclides observed with reliable r egularity belonged to the series - decay naturally occurring radionuclides headed by U-238 and Th-232 as well as the non-series nuclide, K-40. The ave rage specific activity values obtained for Ra-226, Ra-228 and K-40, respect ively, were 8.67 +/- 4.28, 2.31 +/- 1.48 and 98.99 +/- 6.23 Bq l(-1) for we ll water; 12.45 +/- 3.39, 3.02 +/- 0.64 and 97.46 +/- 6.35 Bq l(-1) for bor ehole water; 12.41 +/- 1.37, 2.47 +/- 0.09 and 85.06 +/- 17.27 Bq l(-1) for tag water; 10.40 +/- 1.70, 2.70 +/- 1.30 and 72.60 +/- 9.10 Bq l(-1) for d am water; 7.04 +/- 0.66, 3.55 +/- 0.13 and 69.18 +/- 20.80 Bq l(-1) for str eam water. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.