Balvinder Singh

Uranium quantification in groundwater and health risk from its ingestion in Haryana, India

Uranium is a naturally occurring radioactive element which may cause toxicological or radiological hazards to the public if present in drinking water. This study reports the quantification of uranium in groundwater of major towns of the district Fatehabad, Haryana, India. Uranium concentrations ranged between 0.3 and 48 μg L−1. In 22% of the groundwater samples, uranium concentrations were higher than the World Health Organization maximum permissible limit of 30 µg L−1. The radiological dose for males was found to be in the range of 4.8 × 10−4–7.1 × 10−2 mSv y−1 and for females 3.5 × 10−4–5.2 × 10−2 mSv y−1. The results showed that due to the ingestion of groundwater in the study area, radiological cancer risk is in the range of 9.1 × 10−7–1.3 × 10−4, lower than the risk limit. Uranium ingestion from groundwater varied from 0.02 to 3.5 µg kg−1 day−1, which is within acceptable limit.

Quantification and health risk assessment due to heavy metals in potable water to the population living in the vicinity of a proposed nuclear power project site in Haryana, India

AbstractThis study reports heavy metals’ concentrations in groundwater in the proximity of proposed nuclear power project site in Fatehabad district of Haryana, India. Heavy metals’ quantification was done using flame atomic absorption spectrometer. The average concentration of metals was: Zn (0.20 ± 0.72 mg L−1), Cu (0.13 ± 0.11 mg L−1), Ni (0.20 ± 0.05 mg L−1), Fe (0.16 ± 0.10 mg L−1), Cr (0.13 ± 0.05 mg L−1), Cd (0.02 ± 0.004 mg L−1) and Co (0.07 ± 0.02 mg L−1). Ni, Cr and Cd concentrations were higher than WHO and Indian Standards (IS: 10500). Multivariate statistical techniques, viz. inter-metal correlation, cluster analysis (CA) and principal component analysis were applied for the interpretation of data. Significantly, positive correlations were observed between Fe and Cr (r = 0.341; p < 0.01) and Co and Cr (r = 0.441; p < 0.01). The results of inter-metal correlation were further supported by CA as primary cluster pairs were found for Cr–Co, Fe–Cr and Ni–Cd in groundwater. Potential non-carcinogen...

Assessment of uranium concentration in the drinking water and associated health risks in Eastern Haryana, India

ABSTRACT Quantification of uranium in drinking water has great significance considering its effects on human health. Drinking water samples collected from different sources, viz., hand pumps, tube-wells, and public water supply from Sonipat and Panipat districts of Haryana, India have been analyzed for uranium and other physico-chemical parameters. Uranium concentration in water samples was measured using Pulsed LED Fluorimeter. Uranium concentration in collected water samples ranges from 9.1 to 155.1 µg/L in Sonipat district and 14.9 to 123.3 µg/L in Panipat district. It was inferred from the data that uranium concentration in some water samples was higher than WHO & USEPA recommended limit of 30 µg/L. The mean cancer risk due to uranium in drinking water in Sonipat and Panipat districts was found to be 1.40 × 10−4 and 1.63 × 10−4, respectively, which is lower than the maximum permissible limit (<10−3). Total Dissolve Salts (TDS) in water samples of some villages in Sonipat district was higher than permissible limits for drinking prescribed by WHO & BIS.

Authors response to Dr. Rathore’s comments on Singh B, Garg VK, Yadav P, Kishore N, Pulhani V (2014) uranium in groundwater from western Haryana, India. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 301: 427–433

So far, authors have published two articles on uranium quantification in groundwater in India. One manuscript entitled ‘‘Uranium concentration in groundwater in Hisar city, India’’, published in The International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (IJOEM) [1]; and another entitled ‘‘Uranium in groundwater from Western Haryana, India’’, published in Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry [2]. Dr. Rathore has already written a Letter to the Editor of the IJOEM [1]. The appropriate responses were prepared and published in the journal [3]. Now, Dr. Rathore has given comments to the Editor of JRNC on second article, Singh et al. [2]. We believe that these comments have been prepared on the basis of three publications [1–3] although most of the comments have already been responded in the IJOEM [3], we try to make things more clear as follows. 1. Dr. Rathore implies that the information furnished about uranium analysis instrument by Singh et al. [2] is incorrect and misleading. The manuscript, published by Garg et al. [1], in the IJOEM was a correspondence and had a limit of 1,000 words. So, it was impossible to provide all details in the article. However, in response to his Letter to the Editor, published in the IJOEM, it was informed that model UA-1, fluorimeter from Quantalase, India has been used in the study [3]. But now Dr. Rathore has pointed on the basis of the IJOEM response by Garg [3] and JRNC article by Singh et al. [2] that the authors have furnished incorrect information regarding the instrument. This observation is not correct. In this regard it is submitted that in past M/s Quantalase Enterprises Pvt. Ltd., Indore, India manufactured nitrogen laser fluorimeter (Model QL/NLF/ 02) and the same was used by the authors. The work reported in JRNC by Singh et al. [2] has been done using nitrogen laser fluorimeter (Model QL/NLF/02), the details of this model are given in the article Singh et al [2] (Picture of instrument given in Fig. 1). Later on, M/s Quantalase Enterprises Pvt. Ltd., Indore launched another model of fluorimeter, viz, uranium analyser model UA-1 (Picture of instrument given in Fig. 2). The authors procured uranium analyser model UA-1 and the work reported in the IJOEM by Garg et al. [1] has been done using uranium analyser model UA-1. In these two articles [1, 2] different instruments were used for uranium analysis. It is important to note that both the instruments are based on the measurement of the fluorescence of uranium salt. A comparison between nitrogen laser fluorimeter and LED-based uranium analyser model UA-1 is given in Table 1. 2. The authors have mentioned that uranium quantification of the water samples was done as reported by This is the reply to article DOI: 10.1007/s10967-014-3392-7.