Jordan: ancient wells radioactive, study finds

Ancient underground wells in water-deprived Jordan have 20 times more radiation than is considered safe for drinking, researchers said on [25 February 2009], raising concern about water safety across the Middle East. Their study showed that water from an underground source in Jordan contained high levels of a naturally occurring radioactive particle linked to some cancers, posing a health risk to thousands of people in central Jordan who drink it. [People] in Israel, Egypt, Libya and Saudi Arabia [could also be exposed] to high levels of radioactivity because these countries tap similar sources for drinking water and agriculture, researchers said.

“It’s water you don’t want to drink,” said Avner Vengosh, a researcher at Duke University in the United States, who led the study published in Environmental Science and Technology.

Read more: Nick Vinocur, Reuters, 25 Feb 2009