EVALUATION OF EXCESS LIFE CANCER RISK DUE TO RADON CONCENTRATION IN WATER SAMPLES OF ADELEKE UNIVERSITY EDE, OSUN STATE, NIGERIA

Peter Oyero; Olukunle Oladapo; Ismail Akande; David Adeleke; Ibraheem Oladosu; Peter Ajayi; Abraham Aremu; Emmanuel Oni; Temitayo Olajide; Augustina Oyero

doi:10.4314/njt.2026.5225

Authors

O. P. Oyero Department of Physics, Adeleke University Ede, Osun State, NIGERIA
O. O. Oladapo Department of Science Laboratory Technology, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, NIGERIA
I. O. Akande Department of Science Laboratory Technology, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, NIGERIA
D. K. Adeleke Department of Physics, Adeleke University Ede, Osun State, NIGERIA.
I. A. Oladosu Department of Physics, Adeleke University Ede, Osun State, NIGERIA.
P. A. Ajayi Department of Physics, Adeleke University Ede, Osun State, NIGERIA.
A. A. Aremu Department of Pure and Applied Physics, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, NIGERIA.
E. A. Oni Department of Pure and Applied Physics, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, NIGERIA
T. A. Olajide Department of Pure and Applied Physics, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, NIGERIA.
A. B. Oyero Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Ogbomoso, Oyo State, NIGERIA.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4314/njt.2026.5225

Keywords:

Radon, RAD7, drinking water treatment, Annual effective dose, Excess lifetime cancer risk, Age, Demographic group

Abstract

This study investigates the radiological impact of radon in drinking water from sources within the Adeleke University Community, with a specific focus on evaluating the Excess Lifetime Cancer Risk (ELCR) across different age demographics, including, infants, children, and adults. Radon, a naturally occurring radioactive gas, poses a significant health hazard when ingested or inhaled, especially at a significantly high concentration. In this research, water samples were collected from borehole sources within the university community and analyzed to determine the levels of radon concentration and the corresponding effective doses (AED) and excess lifetime cancer risk for each demographic group. Results of radon concentrations were found to be higher than 0.1 Bq/L limit set by the SON but appreciably lesser than 11.1 Bq/L allowed limit set by USEPA. Annual effective doses due to radon ingestion vary from 0.3854 μSv/y to 8.1667 μSv/y, 0.1196 μSv/y to 8.9434 μSv/y, and 0.0122 μSv/y to 0.8038 μSv/y for infants, children and adults respectively, and ELCR values among infants, children, and adults range respectively from 0.0135 to 8.0691 μSv/y, 0.1651 to 0.5868 μSv/y, and 0.0319 to 0.1680 μSv/y. These variations reflect differing consumption rates, physiological sensitivities, and exposure durations among the population groups. This result showed that lower age group are more radiosensitive, indicating the importance of radiation monitoring among infants and children. Notably, evaluated values of AED and ELCR recorded in this study are significantly below the recommended global average of 100 μSv/y and 2.9 × 10^-4 for AED and ELCR respectively, suggesting that the current levels of radon in the community’s drinking water do not pose a significant radiological health threat. This study underscores the importance of radiological monitoring and risk assessment, especially in institutional environments, to ensure long-term health safety of workers. The findings provide public awareness with a valuable baseline for future comparative studies and support the need for maintaining water quality standards in line with international safety benchmarks.

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