scholarly journals The Activity Concentrations and Radium Equivalent Activity in Soil Samples Collected from the Eastern Part of Basrah Governorate in Southern Iraq

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rasha S. Ahmed ◽  
Raghad S. Mohammed ◽  
Rana O. Abdaljalil

Clay soil samples (0, 30, and 60 cm depths) were collected from two districts (Abu Al Khasib and Ad Dayr) in Basrah governorate in southern Iraq for gamma-ray spectroscopy. The activity concentrations for natural existing radionuclides in 18 soil samples were measured using high-purity germanium detector HPGe. From the obtained results of γ-ray spectroscopy, the 238U activity concentrations were found to be ranging from 2.4 to 5.6 ppm with an average of 3.5 ppm in Abu Al Khasib and ranging from 2.1 to 4.5 ppm with an average of 2.9 ppm in Ad Dayr. 232Th concentrations were ranging from 3.6 to 7.5 ppm with an average of 4.7 ppm in Abu Al Khasib and ranging from 3.7 to 7.9 ppm with an average of 5.0 ppm in Ad Dayr. 40K concentration was ranging from 0.1% to 2.0% with an average of 1.2% in Abu Al Khasib and ranging from 0.9% to 1.8% with an average of 1.3% in Ad Dayr. High 238U and 226Ra concentration levels were recorded in both study regions. The concentrations of 232Th are within the normal limits in both regions. High levels of 40K were recorded in some locations. Generally, in most locations, 40K activity was within normal ranges. The radium equivalent activity, the external hazard index, the internal hazard index, and the radioactivity level index were calculated to estimate the radiation hazard in Basrah. The estimated radiation hazard indices were within normal limits, except the radioactivity level index, which shows elevated values. The obtained results were compared with other countries and with the worldwide median certified values.

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-96
Author(s):  
P. Lamichhane ◽  
B. Rijal ◽  
P. Shrestha ◽  
B. R. Shah

This study was conducted to determine the amount of naturally occurring radioactivity in the soil of Nepal's Kathmandu valley. The activity of naturally occurring radionuclides was determined in these soil samples using a sodium iodide detector. Activity concentrations of 238U, 232Th, and 40K were found in the range: 32.00-111.38 Bq kg-1, 33.52-130.04 Bq kg-1, and 342.50-897.71 Bq kg-1, respectively. These values are well within the permissible range as recommended by UNSCEAR. The soil samples with the highest activity concentrations were primarily found in the valley's northern region. The activity concentrations were also used to calculate the radiation hazard indices: the mean value obtained were 96.63 nGy hr-1 for Absorbed Gamma Dose Rate in Air, 200.04 Bq kg-1 for Radium Equivalent Activity, the 0.12 mSv yr-1 for Annual Effective Dose, and 0.55 for External Hazard Index. These calculated hazard indices were used to estimate the potential radiological health risk from the soil, and the dose rates associated with it were significantly less than their permissible limit. The overall findings indicate no radiological threat to the population's health in the study area. Additionally, the findings of this study provide baseline information on potential radionuclides that contribute mostly for radiation exposure from natural sources.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zakariya A. Hussein

In this work, the activity concentrations of natural radionuclides 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in soil samples from Erbil governorate, Iraqi Kurdistan were investigated by a gamma-spectroscopy system based on high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector. This is to assess the dose of radionuclides exposure to the population, knowing the health risks and to have a baseline for future changes in the environmental radioactivity. It was found that the activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K were ranged from (14.6 ± 1.6 to 38.2 ± 2.8 Bq.kg-1),  (4.5 ± 1.4 to 52.4 ± 5.8 Bq.kg-1) and ( 302.8 ± 12.6 to 388.6 ± 12.8 Bq.kg-1), respectively. The measured activity concentrations for these radionuclides were compared with the reported data of other countries and with the worldwide average activity of soil. Radium equivalent activities, absorbed dose rate, excess lifetime cancer risk and the values of hazard indices were calculated for the measured samples to assess the radiation hazard of the natural radioactivity in all samples to the people. It was concluded that the radium equivalent activities of the studied samples are below the internationally accepted values. These results show that annual effective dose absorbed via occupant from activity construction of soil samples used in the under place is below 1.0 mSv.y-1. It is concluded that the assessment radioactivity of soil are within acceptable levels and does not pose any health hazard to the population.


Author(s):  
P.M. Gyuk ◽  
J.O. Anaegbu ◽  
H.O. Aboh ◽  
R. Daniel ◽  
A. Aruwa ◽  
...  

The background radiation of the areas was collected at random for each point using a rados survey meter. The detectors (two rados survey meter were used) were placed 1 meter above the ground with the operator positioned a few meters away. Three (3) readings were taking from each detector in other to reduce error or reach accuracy in obtaining the background readings from each randomly selected point where soil samples were later collected. In the current study, the concentration levels of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMs) of 40K, 232Th, and 238U in the surface soil samples of selected areas in kigo road new extension Kaduna north, Kaduna in Nigeria were studied. The collected soil samples were analyzed by means of gamma-ray spectrometry. The mean activity concentrations of the natural occurring radionuclides of  226Ra, 232Th and 40K in the soil samples were estimated to be 62, 78.35, 227.17 Bq/kg respectively for kigo road new extension respectively. Radium equivalent activity, absorbed dose rate, annual effective dose equivalent were also calculated for assessment of radiological risk. External hazard value (Hex) is between 0.3163 and 0.9557 and Internal hazard value is between 0.4462 and 1.1618. The worldwide average activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in soil samples from various studies around the world have values of 37, 30 and 400 Bq/kg respectively [UNSCEAR, 2000]. The values compared well with published data from UNSCEAR shows Ra-226, Th-232 from the location are well above the standards while K-40 below the risk value.


2012 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
MA Samad ◽  
MI Ali ◽  
D Paul ◽  
SMA Islam

The activity concentration of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K was determined in solid and liquid samples collected from the TSP Fertilizer Factory, Chittagong, Bangladesh. A total of 18 samples of seven different kinds (including liquid and solid wastes) were collected and analyzed by gamma ray spectrometry technique using a high purity germanium (HPGe) detector of 40% relative efficiency. The analysis of the liquid waste samples showed that the average activity concentrations of 226Ra and 232Th were 6.26 ± 0.63 and 10.01 ± 1.39 Bq/L, respectively and no 40K was detected in any of the liquid samples. In the solid waste samples the average value of activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K were 187.49 ± 4.88, 70.06 ± 11.76 and 655.94 ± 110.24 Bq/kg, respectively. Considering the stored wastes as a part of the ambient environment of the factory, radium equivalent activity, radiation hazard index and external annual effective dose to the worker and public due to these wastes were also calculated and compared with world average values. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbas.v36i1.10923 Journal of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences, Vol. 36, No. 1, 79-88, 2012


2014 ◽  
Vol 955-959 ◽  
pp. 3691-3695
Author(s):  
Gang Song ◽  
Min Xing Lu ◽  
Qiu Ping Zhu ◽  
Di Yun Chen ◽  
Yong Heng Chen

The natural radionuclide (238U, 226Ra, 232Th and 40K) concentrations in 152 soil samples were determined from two major granite areas in Guangzhou, using high resolution γ-ray spectroscopic system based on the characteristic spectral peaks. The mean activity values for 238U, 226Ra, 232Th and 40K were found to be 156.6±98.8, 160.9±96.5, 184.8±101.5 and 832.5±493.1 Bq kg–1 dry mass, respectively. The absorbed dose rate (D) calculated from activity concentration of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K ranged from 53.2 to 497.1 nGy h–1 with a mean of 220.7 nGy h–1. The Radium equivalent activity (Raeq), the outdoor annual effective dose and the external hazard index (Ir), which resulted from the natural radionuclides in soil, were also calculated and found to vary from 119.7 to 1117.2 Bq kg–1, from 0.07 to 0.61 mSv and from 0.33 to 3.07, respectively. The radium equivalent activities and the external hazard index in all the soil samples were same as 64.5% higher than the limit of 370 Bq kg–1 and 1.0, respectively. The outdoor annual effective dose was higher than the worldwide mean value of 0.07 mSv.


2015 ◽  
Vol 78 (9) ◽  
pp. 1766-1769 ◽  
Author(s):  
ALI ABID ABOJASSIM ◽  
LUBNA A. AL-ALASADI ◽  
AHMED R. SHITAKE ◽  
FAEQ A. AL-TEMEMIE ◽  
AFNAN A. HUSAIN

Biscuits are an important type of food, widely consumed by babies in Iraq and other countries. This work uses gamma spectroscopy to measure the natural radioactivity due to long-lived gamma emitters in children's biscuits; it also estimates radiation hazard indices, that is, the radium equivalent activity, the representative of gamma level index, the internal hazard index, and the annual effective dose in children. Ten samples were collected from the Iraqi market from different countries of origin. The average specific activities for 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K were 9.390, 3.1213, and 214.969 Bq/kg, respectively, but the average of the radium equivalent activity and the internal hazard index were 33.101 Bq/kg and 0.107, respectively. The total average annual effective dose from consumption by adults, children, and infants is estimated to be 0.655, 1.009, and 0.875 mSv, respectively. The values found for specific activity, radiation hazard indices, and annual effective dose in all samples in this study were lower than worldwide median values for all groups; therefore, these values are found to be safe.


2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Angjeleska ◽  
Elizabeta Dimitrieska-Stojkovic ◽  
Zehra Hajrulai-Musliu ◽  
Radmila Črčeva-Nikolovska ◽  
Boško Boškovski

The aim of this study was to determine the activity concentrations of naturally occurring radioisotopes 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in 14 soil samples collected in the Skopje city surrounding, and to calculate the corresponding absorbed gamma dose rates. The radionuclides were measured applying a high purity Ge detector gamma-ray spectrometer with relative efficiency of 30 % at 1.33 MeV. The activity concentrations found in 14 soil samples varied in the range 24.1-41.9 Bq kg-1for 226Ra, 38.5-52.2 Bq kg-1 for 232Th, and 502-707 Bq kg-1 for40K. The mean radium equivalent (Raeq), for the area under investigation, was 143±16 Bq kg-1, while the outdoor radiation hazard index (Hex) was 0.39. The total absorbed dose rate due to three primordial radionuclides investigated lay in the range 55.3 - 79.0 nGy h-1 with mean value of 68.1±7.7 nGy h-1, yielding a total annual effective dose of (83.5±9.5) µSv y-1. The assessed radiological factors were lower than the recommended values, indicating low radiological health risk for the population living and working in the investigated area. The activity concentrations of radionuclides in soil samples were compared to the international values reported by United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation and previous studies on geographically close areas and some worldwide regions. 


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 139-145
Author(s):  
T Sombo ◽  
F Bibi ◽  
AA Tyovenda

Activity concentrations of radionuclides (226Ra, 232Th, 40K) and radon gas in soil samples collected within Jalingo Metropolis were assessed by gamma spectrometric techniques using Na (TI) scintillation detector. The result showed an average activity concentration of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K to be 18.626±7.31 Bq/kg, 16.709±10.96 Bq/kg and,167.935±389.33 Bq/kg. The concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th were lower than the world average value while 40K was far higher that the recommended value.Most people in the study area use soil for building construction therefore, it was necessary to asses if there are any radiological hazards associated with the soil. This was achieved by determining Radium equivalent activity (Raeq), internal hazard index (Hin) and Annual effective dose rate. The result indicates that the indices are within normal limit. The Radon concentration in soil varies 11.126±1.315 kBq/kg to 30.374±3.331 kBq/kg with a mean value of 17.881±7.019 kBq/kg which is within the safety limits. Generally, the result showed that the soil in the study area might not pose major hazard to the members of the public


2018 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-176 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mst Najnin Aktar ◽  
Suranjan Kumar Das ◽  
Selina Yeasmin ◽  
MM Mahfuz Siraz ◽  
AFM Mizanur Rahman

The activity concentrations of natural radionuclides and radiological hazard indices in eleven tea samples collected from local market in Bangladesh have been analyzed by using High Purity Germanium (HPGe) Detector. The average activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in tea samples have been found to be 21.21±14.04, 32.43±7.48 and 93.47 ± 43.94 Bqkg-1 respectively. The calculated absorbed dose rates due to these radioactive nuclides in tea samples have been found to vary from 26.24 nGyh-1 to 37.95 nGyh-1 and average value was 33.28 nGyh-1. The estimated outdoor annual effective dose rates varied from 38.64  µSvy-1 to 55.89 µSvy-1 with the mean value of 49.02 µSvy-1 which is less than the world average value of 1000 µSvy-1. The values of radium equivalent activity in all samples are less than the permissible maximum value of the radium equivalent activity which is 370 Bqkg-1 according to UNSCEAR 2000 report. The values of external and internal hazard indices for different samples varied from 0.16 to 0.23 with the average value of 0.20 and from 0.21 to 0.29 with an average of 0.26. The value of this index must be less than unity in order to keep the radiation hazard insignificant. It was also found that there is no artificial radionuclide (for example 137Cs) in any of the samples. The data generated in this study will provide baseline radiometric values for natural and artificial radioactivity in tea samples in Bangladesh. Journal of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences, Vol. 42, No. 2, 171-176, 2018


2012 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 27-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
MA Samad ◽  
MI Ali ◽  
D Paul ◽  
SMA Islam

The activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K have been determined in solid and liquid samples collected from the Jamuna Urea Fertilizer Factory, Tarakandi, Jamalpur, Bangladesh. Six different types of samples, namely, i) the liquid waste water stored inside the factory ii) water sample near the liquid waste disposal point of Jamuna river iii) liquid-waste-mixed soil iv) normal soil adjacent to the factory v) the final product (Urea) and vi) urea dust of the factory have been analyzed by gamma spectrometric technique using a high purity germanium (HPGe) detector of 40% relative efficiency. The activity concentration of 226Ra was determined from the average concentrations of the 214Pb and 214Bi decay products, the activity concentration of 232Th was determined from the average concentrations of 208Tl and 228Ac, whereas the concentration of 40K was measured directly. The analysis of the liquid waste samples showed that the average activity concentrations of 226Ra and 232Th were 3.64 ± 0.72 and 12.94 ± 2.02 Bq/L, respectively and no 40K was detected in any of the samples. In the liquid-waste-mixed soil samples the average value of activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K were 21.45 ± 3.19, 63.00 ± 8.10 and 311.97 ± 90.93 Bq/kg, respectively whereas in the normal soil the values were 20.97 ± 3.56, 61.77 ± 8.93 and 645.48 ± 103.62 Bq/kg, respectively. Considering the stored wastes as a part of the ambient environment of the factory, radium equivalent activity, radiation hazard index and external annual effective dose to the worker and the public due to these wastes were calculated and compared with the world average values.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jesnr.v4i2.10131J. Environ. Sci. & Natural Resources, 4(2): 27-33, 2011


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