Gross Alpha and Beta Radioactivity Evaluation in Drinking Water: Results from the Calabria Region, Southern Italy

In this article, authors report experimental results obtained for the assessment of gross alpha and beta radioactivity in drinking waters, coming from the Calabria region, southern Italy. The measurements, performed with the Perkin-Elmer Tricarb 4910 TR Liquid Scintillation Counter (LSC) setup, were compared with reference values derived from Italian regulations (the Italian Legislative Decree n. 28/2016) to evaluate the existence of possible health risks for the population due to the ingestion of gross alpha and beta radioactivity in the analyzed drinking waters. Experimental results underline that both specific activities in the investigated drinking waters varies widely. In particular, for gross alpha, the activity concentration ranges from a minimum value lower than the LSC minimum detectable activity (MDA), 0.04 Bq L−1, for the site IDs 13, 28, 34, 35, 38, 44, 53, to a maximum of (0.16 ± 0.03) Bq L−1 for the site ID 22; for gross beta, the specific activity varies from a minimum value lower than the LSC MDA, 0.20 Bq L−1, for all the sampling sites except for the site IDs 5, 6, 9, 13, 15, 18, 19, 25, 27, 29, 33, 34, 40, to a maximum of (0.34 ± 0.07) Bq L−1 for the site ID 15. Obtained results represent a main reference for the investigated area, and they are useful to determine the associated radiological health risks for the population.