Radon concentration in Jordanian drinking water and hot springs.

The radon concentration in Jordanian drinking water and hot springs has been measured using the electret-passive environmental radon monitoring method. This study maps out Jordanian water sources from the north to the south as well as the area around the capital Amman and the Jordan valley. Samples from 30 sources were collected and analysed during the period from November 2001 to June 2002. We have found that 60% of the drinking water sources have radon concentrations above the proposed US Environmental Protection Agency limit of 11 Bq l(-1); these are mostly situated in the northern region of the country. Fortunately, these sources supplied only a small number of people since they were mainly located in rural areas. Tap water in the capital Amman, where approximately 35% of the population live, has a very low radon concentration, 3.9 Bq l(-1). However, the isolated northern drinking water wells did show a radon level as high as 117 Bq l(-1). Hot springs in Jordan have a radon level ranging between 63 and 81 Bq l(-1), again mainly in the northern region. In general we conclude that Jordanian drinking water is safe as far as radon concentration is concerned with the exception of a few isolated local drinking water wells.