Assessment of Health Risks of Adults and Children Due to Consumption of Uranium in Groundwater from Chengalpattu District, Tamil Nadu, India

The concentration of uranium in 51 samples of groundwater from the Chengalpattu District of Tamil Nadu was measured with an LED fluorimeter. The uranium concentration exhibited a range of 0.02 µg L-1 to2.814 µg L-1, with a mean value of 0.347 µg L-1. The uranium concentrations in this study are significantly below the recommended limits set by various agencies of 30 µg L-1 (WHO 2011) and 60 µg L-1 (AERB 2004). Lifetime average daily dose and hazard quotient were calculated to assess the chemical toxicity, and excess cancer risk was calculated to assess the radioactive risk. The parameter was compared with the limits of safety specified by different agencies. The carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risk due to water consumption was much less than the permissible limits for both children and adults. From the analysis, it is found that water can be considered to be safe for use.