Natural radionuclides 226Ra, 228Ra, 210Pb and 210Po and inorganic chemical elements determined in mineral waters from Águas de Contendas and Lambari, Brazil

Abstract

Natural radionuclides 226Ra, 228Ra, 210Pb and 210Po activity concentrations and the inorganic chemical composition were determined in radioactive mineral water springs from the Water Parks of Águas de Contendas and Lambari, located in the Water Circuit of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Radionuclides were determined by gross alpha and beta measurements and alpha spectrometry, and the chemical elements by ICP-OES. Among the radionuclides analyzed, the highest activity concentrations obtained were for 226Ra and 228Ra and the chemical elements Ca, Fe and Na presented higher values of concentrations. Pearson’s correlation coefficient analysis was performed to verify the correlation between natural radionuclides and the chemical elements.