Gyeonggi Province Health and Environment Research Institute Develops 'Radon Prediction Model in Groundwater'...Advancing Private Sector Application

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park No-hun] The Gyeonggi Province Health and Environment Research Institute (hereinafter "the Institute"), which is advancing the development of a 'radon prediction model in groundwater,' announced on the 29th that it will expand sample surveys to improve reliability and commercialization.

The 'radon prediction model in groundwater' was created using statistical analysis programs and QGIS (Geographic Information System), a general-purpose map-making program, based on the correlation between heavy metal components such as radon and uranium, and external environmental conditions such as hydrogen ion concentration (pH) and water temperature.

To construct the model, the Institute utilized data on 'whether natural radioactive materials are present' from 346 small-scale water supply facilities in the province investigated over two years from 2019 as basic reference material. Last year, the Institute proposed this model to the Ministry of Environment-sponsored '2020 Environmental Spatial Information Idea Contest' and was recognized as a winner.

The prediction model aims to compile radon information that is currently divided by groundwater facility, disclose it to Gyeonggi Province residents, and utilize it as information for improving water quality and the environment.

To improve the reliability of the prediction model, the Institute plans to expand the sample survey targets from the existing 346 sites to approximately 1,000 sites by the end of this year.

Additionally, from next year onwards, the Institute plans to construct a system that allows residents to directly search for predicted radon concentrations during groundwater development through its homepage and other groundwater information systems. This is expected to enable the provision of continuous and easily accessible radon information services.

Meanwhile, radon has high volatility and can be absorbed into the body through various routes such as breathing, drinking water, and bathing, potentially causing harmful diseases such as gastric cancer and lung cancer.

Since 2019, it has been designated as one of the 'drinking water quality surveillance items (surveillance standard 148 Bq/L, Bq: Becquerel—the amount of radioactive material in which one atom decays per second) for small-scale water supply facilities and has been managed accordingly.

According to the Institute's survey results of small-scale water supply facilities in the province over the past two years, radon in groundwater is mainly detected in granite areas, with 157 out of 346 surveyed sites (45.4%) corresponding to this category, requiring caution in groundwater development and use.