Radioactivity Measurements in Water: An Overview of the Actual Technologies

Abstract

Among the most significant matrices in the field of environmental radioactivity, water is certainly included, being subject to monitoring and controls to safeguard the environment from possible anthropogenic contamination. The presence of radionuclides in water also constitutes a health risk to human, because its consumption increases the likelihood of incurring cancer. In authors’ laboratory, different experimental techniques were employed to measure radioactivity content of surface and drinking water, according to the Italian Legislation and to the Italian Institute for the Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) guidelines. Gamma spectrometry was employed to quantify the specific activity of gamma-emitters anthropogenic contaminants and natural radionuclides; liquid scintillation counting (LSC), to measure the activity concentration of tritium, radon and gross alpha and beta; total alpha/beta counting, with the thick source method, to detect about gross alpha and beta specific activity; emanometry, to estimate gas radon activity concentration.