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

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Park Noh-hoon] The Gyeonggi Province Health and Environment Research Institute (hereinafter "Institute"), which is developing a 'radon prediction model for groundwater,' announced on the 29th that it will expand sampling surveys to improve reliability and commercialization.

The 'radon prediction model for groundwater' was created using QGIS (geographic information system), a map creation general-purpose program, and statistical analysis programs to identify correlations between heavy metal components such as radon and uranium, external environmental conditions such as hydrogen ion concentration (pH) and water temperature.

The Institute utilized data on 'whether natural radioactive substances are present' from 346 small-scale water supply facilities in the province, based on surveys conducted over two years since 2019, as foundational material for model construction. Last year, it proposed this model to the Ministry of Environment's '2020 Environmental Spatial Information Idea Competition' and won an award.

The prediction model aims to consolidate radon information dispersed across different groundwater facilities into one location to disclose it to residents and utilize it as information for improving water quality and the environment.

The Institute plans to expand the sampling survey targets from the existing 346 locations to approximately 1,000 locations by the end of this year to enhance the reliability of the prediction model.

Additionally, starting next year, the Institute plans to establish a system in the groundwater information system, such as on its homepage, allowing residents to directly search for predicted radon concentrations when developing groundwater. This is expected to enable the provision of sustainable and easily accessible radon information services.

Meanwhile, radon is a volatile harmful substance that can be absorbed into the body through various pathways such as breathing, drinking water, and bathing, and can cause gastric cancer and lung cancer.

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

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 detected mainly in granite areas, and 157 out of 346 surveyed locations (45.4%) correspond to this, requiring caution in groundwater development and use.