title: Radioactivity in drinking water: regulations, monitoring results and radiation protection issues.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Drinking waters usually contain several natural radionuclides: tritium, radon, radium, uranium isotopes, etc. Their concentrations vary widely since they depend on the nature of the aquifer, namely, the prevailing lithology and whether there is air in it or not.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  In this work a broad overview of the radioactivity in drinking water is presented: national and international regulations, for limiting the presence of radioactivity in waters intended for human consumption; results of extensive campaigns for monitoring radioactivity in drinking waters, including mineral bottled waters, carried out throughout the world in recent years; a draft of guidelines for the planning of campaigns to measure radioactivity in drinking water proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency (ARPA) of Lombardia.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Tecnologie e Salute, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy. cristina.nuccetelli@iss.it
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nuccetelli
authors.forename: Rosella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rusconi
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Forte
mesh_terms: D060766:Drinking Water / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards; D005062:European Union; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D011835:Radiation Protection / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D014481:United States; D014484:United States Environmental Protection Agency; D014875:Water Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000009:adverse effects*; D014878:Water Pollution, Radioactive / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000032:analysis / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D014881:Water Supply / Q000032:analysis*; D014944:World Health Organization
chemical_list: D060766:Drinking Water; D014875:Water Pollutants, Radioactive