Radiological and chemical monitoring of Dikili geothermal waters, Western Turkey

Abstract

Naturally occurring Radionuclides such as Ra-226 and Rn-222 as well as the major dissolved ions were investigated in the four thermal springs from Dikili Geothermal Area, Western Turkey. It was observed that Rn-222 concentrations vary from 0.3 to 31 Bql(-1) with an average value of 8.2 Bql(-1), while the Ra-226 activities range from 0.10 to 1.2 Bql(-1) with a mean value of 0.495 Bql(-1). A direct correlation was determined between radon and radium activities which indicates their parent-child relationship. The annual effective doses ranged from 0.58 to 3.06 mu Svy(-1) with an average 1.75 for radon and vary from 4.88 to 8.58 mu Svy(-1) with an average value of 6.53 mu Svy(-1) for radium and all are well below 100 mu Svy(-1) recommended by WHO. The chemical analyses of water samples show that Na+ and Cl- ions mainly dominate the chemistry of waters. Due to their chemical characteristics, the springs were placed in the Water Quality Class 1 or 2 according to Turkish Environmental Regulations for Water Pollution Control. On the other hand, no significant correlations was found between the physic-chemical parameters and investigated radionuclides. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.