Total alpha and beta activities and Rn-222 concentrations were determined in water from different sections of seven aqueducts belonging to the water supply system of Campania region (Italy), known worldwide for its volcanism. Statistical analysis was performed on data to account for their variability across the aqueduct sections, and results were discussed considering the geology of reservoirs, the potential mixing processes occurring along the pipe network, the building/constituting materials of the aqueduct sections, and the integrity of the infrastructure. Guidelines proposed by Italian and international regulation entities were considered to determine if total alpha and beta activities and Rn-222 concentrations found at the taps of the different aqueducts should be considered detrimental to public health. Based on a deterministic and a stochastic approach, a health risk assessment was also tested for Rn-222, assuming direct ingestion and showering as potential exposure pathways. Results showed that applying guidelines returned an absence of hazard, whereas risk assessment returned a high probability of exposure to unacceptable Rn-222 doses for some aqueducts. Beyond the usefulness of obtained results to plan actions to improve the safety of drinking water in Campania, our outcomes represent a warning for bodies dealing with public health at any level: the use of guidelines can bring an underestimation of the risks exerted by the exposure to Rn-222 on human health. Further, using a probabilistic approach in risk assessment accounting for uncertainty can favor risk forecasts based on more “realistic” scenarios.

中文翻译：

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意大利火山地区供水系统中总 α 和 β 活性以及 Rn-222 浓度的变化：人类饮用自来水的安全性如何？

测定了来自坎帕尼亚地区（意大利）供水系统的七个渡槽不同部分的水中的总 α 和 β 活性以及 Rn-222 浓度，该地区以其火山活动而闻名。对数据进行统计分析，以解释渡槽断面的变异性，并考虑水库地质、沿管网发生的潜在混合过程、渡槽断面的建筑/构成材料以及渡槽的完整性对结果进行讨论。基础设施。考虑了意大利和国际监管实体提出的指南，以确定不同渡槽水龙头处发现的总 α 和 β 活性以及 Rn-222 浓度是否应被视为对公众健康有害。基于确定性和随机方法，还对 Rn-222 进行了健康风险评估，假设直接摄入和淋浴是潜在的暴露途径。结果表明，应用指南表明不存在危险，而风险评估则表明某些渡槽很可能暴露于不可接受的 Rn-222 剂量。除了所获得的结果对于计划改善坎帕尼亚饮用水安全的行动有用之外，我们的结果还对各级处理公共卫生问题的机构提出了警告：使用指南可能会低估暴露于水的风险。 Rn-222 对人类健康的影响。此外，在风险评估中使用概率方法来解释不确定性可以有利于基于更“现实”场景的风险预测。