A systematic study of uranium retention in human organs and quantification of radiological and chemical doses from uranium ingestion

The Industrial revolution introduced umpteen radionuclides in the environment and their long-term exposure from ingestion and inhalation is a potential threat to the human race. In numerous developing countries, uranium and other radionuclide concentrations are higher than their recommended limits and cause adverse health effects to inhabitants. The present study depicts the uranium concentration in water samples of Nawanshahr and Rupnagar districts of Punjab (India). The uranium concentration in the studied region ranged from 13.23 μg l−1 to 38.61 μg l−1, and some samples reported to be have higher concentration than their recommended limits. An attempt has been made to quantify the uranium retention in different organs using ICRP’s age-specific biokinetic model with a specific update of urine, faeces, and hairs. The dosimetric models were used to estimate the radiological doses for particular organs and chemical toxicity for overall health risk assessment. Time dependence studies of uranium in distinct organs and tissues claimed that the kidney, liver, non-exchangeable bone volume and soft tissues are the vital target organs for uranium depository. •Spatial distribution of uranium indicated higher values towards Southern Punjab.•Kidney, bones and liver are the most vital target organs for uranium retention.•Time dependence burden of uranium is different for distinct organs.•Radiological risk and chemical toxicity risk were below than the threshold limits.