Radionuclides in Italian Drinking Water and Regulations: Data Collection to Improve Risk Assessment

Abstract

Drinking water, in addition to the best-known chemical and biological agents, contains radionuclides of both natural and artificial origin, which can contribute significantly to the overall effective dose received by the population. The Italian Decree Law 28/2016, implementing the 2013/51/EURATOM Directive, establishes the activities for risk management and the parameter values for different radionuclide activity concentrations. In addition to the institutions involved, the National Inspectorate for Nuclear Safety and Radiation Protection (ISIN) annually publishes monitoring reports of environmental radioactivity in Italy, including radioactivity in drinking water. The purpose of the study was to integrate ISIN reports with 2018–2020 data by collecting measurements performed by institutional laboratories to obtain more complete information and adding, for the Campania region, some data not yet published. This new updated report was not significantly different from ISIN’s one, meaning that those publications are nevertheless extremely representative of the radioactivity in Italian drinking water. However, the study allowed us to obtain more detailed data, including measurements not considered in ISIN reports, for instance, radon-222 activity concentrations. This may be of great usefulness for all radiation protection stakeholders in order to ensure environmental protection, pollution prevention, and population safety.