Advance application of liquid scintillation counter to estimate radon concentration in groundwater

Radon ( 222 Rn) is radium’s immediate radioactive decay product ( 226 Ra) in the uranium decay series. Radon is classified as a group 1 carcinogen due to its hazard to human health, and the evaluation of radon concentrations has become essential. Therefore, an advanced method was applied to a liquid scintillation counter (Hidex 300SL) to measure the radon concentration in groundwater. The estimated radon concentration was between 0.1 and 3.20 Bq/L, with an average of 0.96 Bq/L and with a standard deviation of 0.82 Bq/L. The estimated radon concentrations are in the safe range recommended by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC). However, the values are far below the safe range set by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCARE), European Commission (EC), and World Health Organization (WHO) standards. Nevertheless, the estimated radon concentration by this advanced application ensured no risk of radon exposure from the groundwater of the tested area. Graphical Abstract