Radiological and environmental assessment of radon emanation from soil and water in the Islamabad region of northern Pakistan

The aim of this study was to assess radon concentrations and associated health impacts from soil and drinking water in the Margalla hills region of Islamabad. The radon concentration in all water samples was below the safe limit of 11 BqL −1 , as suggested by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). The radon concentration values had an average of 2.65 BqL −1 for the water samples. The effective dose for water samples averaged with 0.56 µSvy −1 and all the samples were below 0.1 mSvy −1 , the recommended safe limit suggested by the World Health Organization (WHO) and European Council (EU). Radon concentration for all soil samples was below 100 Bqm −3 and are considered safe according to WHO. The radon concentration from the soil samples averaged with 23.01 Bqm −3 . The annual effective dose for soil samples averaged with 0.65 mSvy −1 which is below the action range of 3–10 mSvy −1 suggested by ICRP (International Commission for Radiological Protection). Thus, it was clearly observed that radon levels in water and soil in and around the Margalla Hills region are within internationally accepted safety limits. Therefore, the use of local soil for manufacturing building materials is considered safe, and outdoor exposure in the region poses no significant radiological risk within normal exposure durations.