Abstract
<title>Abstract</title> <p>Artisanal gold mining is a rapidly growing economic activity in many developing countries. Yet its impact on water quality poses health risks to populations that rely on these sources for domestic use. This study measured activity concentrations and evaluated radiological risks associated with 226Ra, 228Ra, and 40K in surface and groundwater from the Rafin Gora mining community, Nigeria. Fifteen water samples were analyzed using gamma-ray spectrometry with a NaI(Tl) detector. The mean activity concentrations of 226Ra, 228Ra, and 40K were 5.30 ± 1.03 Bq/L, 3.98 ± 0.28 Bq/L, and 120.82 ± 7.89 Bq/L, respectively. The results exceeded the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline of 1 Bq/L for 226Ra and 228Ra. The mean annual effective dose from water ingestion was 3.63 mSv/year, exceeding the WHO reference dose of 0.1 mSv/year. The calculated lifetime cancer risk (1.40×10^(-2)) and hereditary risk (5.09×10^(-4)) exceeded the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) action level(1×10^(-4)), although they remained below the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) nominal risk of 5.5×10^(-2). These findings demonstrate that untreated water in a gold mining community can pose serious chronic radiological hazards, a warning relevant to many developing countries where similar mining expands without adequate environmental monitoring. Immediate regulatory action and point‑of‑use water treatment are urgently needed.</p>