POTENTIALLY POSSIBLE POPULATION EXPOSURE DOSES DUE TO MINERAL NATURAL MEDICAL WATER CONSUMPTION

Abstract

Mineral natural table, medical-table and medical water is usually characterized by enhanced mineralization, so annual consumption of such water for drinking and cooking is much lower than standard water consumption of adult population. The limitation of population exposure due to mineral natural table and medical-table water could be achieved by the implementation of limitation of their consumption. The aim of the investigation is to estimate potentially possible population exposure doses from mineral natural medical water consumption on an example of the water which is used for drinking therapy in the complex of sanatorium health resort treatment of patients in one of the sanatoriums of Saint-Petersburg. The data on mineral medical water radionuclides specific activity values used for patients exposure doses estimation was obtained during implemented radiochemical analysis carried out using the techniques developed in the Institute of Radiation Hygiene. Obtained results of the investigations and their analysis demonstrated that potentially possible patients’ maximal annual effective exposure doses due to implementation of mineral natural medical water for drinking therapy in the complex of sanatorium health resort treatment will not exceed definitely the reference dose level, recommended by WHO, equal to 0.1 mSv/year because of a low amount of water consumption prescribed by a physician. It is clear unreasonable to set limitations on natural radionuclides content in mineral medical water because patients take it as a medicine according to physician prescribing and the consumption of such water is connected with their therapy properties. Principle of justification of the procedures appointment has to be applied when the course of mineral medical water treatment is prescribed. The essence of the principle is to compare therapy (medical) benefits as a result of treatment with the damage to health as a result of radiation exposure. It is necessary to estimate the effective internal exposure doses due to mineral natural medical water consumption for different age groups of population for the process of justification of therapy procedures.

Keywords

• mineral natural medical water
• natural radionuclide
• radiochemical analysis
• guidance levels
• the index of conformance of the water to the requirements of the radiation safety
• population exposure doses