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Significance of Radioactivity in Water Supply and Treatment
Author(s) -
Bevis Herbert A.
Publication year - 1960
Publication title -
journal ‐ american water works association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.466
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1551-8833
pISSN - 0003-150X
DOI - 10.1002/j.1551-8833.1960.tb00561.x
Subject(s) - sedimentation , filtration (mathematics) , environmental science , lime , ion exchange , water treatment , environmental chemistry , pellets , radioactive waste , chemistry , waste management , pulp and paper industry , environmental engineering , sediment , materials science , geology , ion , nuclear chemistry , metallurgy , paleontology , statistics , mathematics , organic chemistry , engineering , composite material
This article begins by providing a brief overview of the biologic effects of radioactivity. Variables that affect the extent of health effects of radiation include: quantity of material absorbed; distribution of radioactive material in the body; the half‐life of the material; and, the rate at which the material is excreted from the body. Various forms of potential sources of radioactive contamination of water supplies are discussed, along with methods for removal of radioactive materials from the water supply that include: natural processes of riverbed sedimentation, ion exchange capabilities of silts, the biologic processes of both plants and animals including some forms of algae, the natural filtration of water percolating down through the earth to an aquifer, and the ion exhange properties of minerals and clays; conventional treatment plant processes of coagulation and sedimentation, filtration, lime soda ash softening, and ion exchange; and, beds of steel, clay pellets, activated carbon, and cation‐anion‐exchange resins in series. Distillation units are also mentioned as capable of removing nonvolatile materials, but are expensive and limited in capacity.