Analysis of Gross Alpha, Gross Beta Activity, Heavy Metal Concentrations, and Cancer Risk Assessment in IspartaDrinking Tap Water

Abstract In this study, tap water samples were collected from different locations in the city center of Isparta. Gross alpha and gross beta activity concentrations were determined according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) protocol. The annual effective dose and lifetime cancer risk were calculated. The gross alpha activity concentrations ranged from 37 mBq/L to 136 mBq/L, and the gross beta activity ranged from 111 mBq/L to 181 mBq/L. These values are below the World Health Organization (WHO) limits of 500 mBq/L for alpha and 1000 mBq/L for beta activities. The lifetime cancer risk assessment for adults, based on these concentrations, ranged from 0.59x10⁻⁴ to 2.36x10⁻⁴ (mean 1.37x10⁻⁴), with the highest value being lower than the UNSCEAR standard of 0.29x10⁻³. Additionally, the concentrations of several heavy metals, including arsenic (As), barium (Ba), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), selenium (Se), and thallium (Tl), were measured at 0.0016, 0.0417, 0.0002, 0.0027, 0.005, 0.0016, 0.0088, 0.0028, and 0.0043 ppm, respectively. The concentrations of As, Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, and Se were below the recommended limits of the WHO and EPA standards. However, the Hg and Tl concentrations were below the WHO limits but exceeded the EPA standards. The cancer risk assessment was performed based on the concentrations of As, Pb, Cd, and Cr using the EPA's cancer slope factors. The calculated hazard indices (HIs) for these heavy metals were lower than the EPA's critical level.