scholarly journals Assessment of Natural Radioactivity and radiation hazards in beach sand samples from Kanyakumari District, TamilNadu

Author(s):  
Ajithra A K ◽  
Shanthi G.

<div><p><em>Natural radionuclides of terrestrial origin have very long half – lives or driven from very long – lived parent radionuclides, which have been created in stellar processes before the earth formation. The study of natural radioactivity in marine and coastal environments is of significant importance for better understanding of oceanographic and sedimentological processes. The sampling sites are selected to cover randomly to cover the southern part. The soil samples have been collected in beach sides. In situ gamma measurements were conducted using a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector (coaxial cylinder of 50.1 mm in diameter and 44 mm in length) with a relative efficiency of 50% and an energy resolution (FWHM) of 1.8 keV at the 1.33 MeV reference transition of <sup>60</sup>Co. The measurements shows that the values of the absorbed dose rates in air in the investigated area are lower than the recommended limit by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effect of Atomic Radiation.</em></p></div>

2020 ◽  
Vol 188 (3) ◽  
pp. 276-284
Author(s):  
Kh A Allam

Abstract Patient and occupational dose rates due to psammotherapy (sand therapy) and climatotherapy treatments in high natural background areas in Egypt have been evaluated. Monte Carlo mathematical simulations using adult human phantoms were applied to consider the effect of elevated 238U, 232Th and 40K concentrations and the nonhomogeneous distribution of natural radionuclides in beach sand. Three situations: phantom covered by sand or lying on the beach and points in air at several heights above sand level, were considered. The gamma-ray doses per treatment were calculated at a reference point located on the phantom surface centrally above the genital area. The thus calculated patient-absorbed-dose ranges at this reference point were 0.006–0.018 mGy and 0.004–0.023 mGy per climatotherapy and psammotherapy treatments, respectively.


2018 ◽  
Vol 184 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-11
Author(s):  
C M Alonso-Hernández ◽  
A L Toledo-Sibello ◽  
A Guillén-Arruebarrena ◽  
R Sibello-Hernández ◽  
Y Morera-Gómez ◽  
...  

Abstract The natural radioactivity and the associated radiation hazards of soils from the Cumanayagua Granitoide-Granitic massif in the central south of Cuba have been studied. Mass activities of the natural radionuclides 238U, 232Th and 40K varied in the ranges 10.4–33, 4.6–21.7 and 381–1201 Bq kg−1, respectively. The radium equivalent activity (91.4 ± 22.1 Bq kg−1), absorbed dose rate (45.6 ± 11.1 nGy h−1), annual effective dose rate (56.1 ± 13.7 μSv y−1) and the external hazard index (0.25 ± 0.06) have been calculated and compared with the internationally approved values. According to these results, the area can be regarded as an area with normal natural background radiation and may not pose radiological risks to the inhabitants owing to harmful effects of ionizing radiation from the natural radionuclides in soils. This study provides background radioactivity concentrations in Cumanayagua Granitoide area and generate a baseline data for radiological mapping of Cuba in the future.


2019 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 150
Author(s):  
A. Karailias ◽  
V. Lagaki ◽  
C. Katsiva ◽  
A. Kanellakopoulos ◽  
T. J. Mertzimekis ◽  
...  

We report on a new mobile γ-spectrometry system (AMESOS) developed at the University of Athens. The system aims at carrying out in situ measurements to study distributions of NORM and TENORM at harsh environments or where sampling is difficult. AMESOS has been characterized by using standard calibration sources and minerals of known, independently determined, U and Th concentrations. Simulations of the system have been performed with MCNP and Geant4. As a proof of good field operation, AMESOS was deployed in a series of measurements at Mt. Kithaeron, near Athens, extending earlier data and estimating absorbed dose rates that concern the public.


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-118
Author(s):  
Daniel Hatungimana ◽  
Caner Taşköprü ◽  
Mutlu İçhedef ◽  
Müslim Murat Saç ◽  
Şemsi Yazıcı ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The aim of this study is to determine the radon and natural radioactivity concentrations of some building materials and to assess the radiation hazard associated with those mortar materials when they are used in the construction of dwellings. Radon measurements were realized by using LR-115 Type 2 solid state nuclear track detectors. Radon activity concentrations of these materials were found to vary between 130.00 ± 11.40 and 1604.06 ± 40.5 Bq m−3. The natural radioactivity in selected mortar materials was analyzed by using scintillation gamma spectroscopy. The activity concentrations for 226Ra, 232Th and 40K for the studied mortar materials ranged from ND to 48.5 ± 7.0 Bq kg−1, ND to 41.0 ± 6.4 Bq kg−1 and ND to 720.4 ± 26.8 Bq kg−1, respectively. Radium equivalent activities, external and internal hazard indexes, gamma and alpha indexes and absorbed gamma dose rates were calculated to assess the radiation hazard of the natural radioactivity in studied samples. The calculated Raeq values of all samples were found to be lower than the limit of 370 Bq kg−1 set for building materials. The estimated hazard index values were found to be under the unity and the absorbed dose rate values were also below the worldwide average of 84 nGy h−1.


2010 ◽  
Vol 58 (spe4) ◽  
pp. 25-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wagner de S. Pereira ◽  
Alphonse Kelecom ◽  
Delcy de A. Py Júnior

A methodology was developed for converting the activity concentration of radionuclides (Bq kg-1) into absorbed dose rate (Gy y-1), aiming an approach to environmental radioprotection based on the concept of standard dose limit. The model considers only the internal absorbed dose rate. This methodology was applied to the cubera snapper fish (Lutjanus cyanopterus, Cuvier, 1828) caught off the coast of Ceará. The natural radionuclides considered were uranium-238, radium-226, lead-210, thorium-232 and radium-228. The absorbed dose rates were calculated for individual radionuclides and the type of emitted radiation. The average dose rate due to these radionuclides was 5.36 µGy y-1, a value six orders of magnitude smaller than the threshold value of absorbed dose rate used in this study (3.65 10³ mGy y-1), and similar to that found in the literature for benthic fish. Ra-226 and U-238 contributed 67% and 22% of the absorbed dose rate, followed by Th-232 with 10%. Ra-228 and Pb-210, in turn, accounted for less than 1% of the absorbed dose rate. This distribution is somewhat different from that reported in the literature, where the Ra-226 accounts for 86% of the absorbed dose rate.


2019 ◽  
Vol 100 ◽  
pp. 00052
Author(s):  
Aneta Łukaszek-Chmielewska ◽  
Martin Girard ◽  
Olga Stawarz ◽  
Barbara Piotrowska ◽  
Karol Wojtkowski ◽  
...  

In this article are presented the results of measurements of natural radioactivity in twelve soil samples from the Kampinoski National Park by using high purity germanium detector (HPGe). The average values of the natural radionuclides 40K, 226Ra and 228Ac concentrations in the soil samples are 8.54, 6.65 and 206 Bq/kg respectively. Additionally radiation hazard indices were calculated to evaluate the radiological risk for the public and environment. The results show that the mean values of radium equivalent activity (Raeq) and gamma absorbed dose rate (D) in the air, outdoor annual effective dose equivalent (Eout), and representative level index (Iγ) for analyzed samples were lower than the limit recommended by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effect of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR). This study is the first to evaluate the radiological impacts in the investigation area.


2015 ◽  
Vol 77 (13) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nuraddeen Nasirum Garba ◽  
Ahmad Termizi Ramli ◽  
Muneer Aziz Saleh ◽  
Mohd Syazwan Mohd Sanusi ◽  
Hamman Tukur Gabdo ◽  
...  

Assessment of natural radionuclides (238U, 232Th, and 40K) and terrestrial gamma radiation dose rates (TGRD) in major rivers of Kelantan states, Malaysia were conducted. Measurements were carried out using a portable [NaI(TI)] micro roentgen (µR) survey meter and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS) for in situ TGRD and the activity concentrations of 238U, 232Th, and 40K in water samples, respectively. The mean TGRD was found to be 312.98 nGy h-1 and from water samples analyzed, the mean activity concentrations of 238U, 232Th, and 40K was found to be 13.31 mBq L-1, 4.39 mBq L-1 and 1118.72 mBq L-1 which were about 3 times and slightly higher than the world average values of 5 mBq L-1 and 3 mBq L-1 respectively.


Author(s):  
Eva Singovszka ◽  
Adriana Estokova

The occurrence of radionuclides in the raw materials from which the building materials are made is a potential radiation risk in buildings constructed from these materials. In this study, four historical buildings were investigated regarding the natural radioactivity of the used bricks. The gamma radiation was evaluated using the measured mass activities of the most important radionuclides and expressed by the gamma indexes (Iγ) and dose rates. The results proved that the activity concentrations of 232Th and 40K radioisotopes in bricks are higher than worldwide values. Even though Iγ do not exceed the recommended value (Iγ ˂ 1), the absorbed dose rate for the structures in indoor air was calculated in the range 115.94-161.44 nGy/h which is twice the global average for this parameter.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (E) ◽  
pp. 678-684
Author(s):  
M. R. Usikalu ◽  
C. A. Enemuwe ◽  
R. O. Morakinyo ◽  
M. M. Orosun ◽  
T. A. Adagunodo ◽  
...  

Natural radionuclides are present in every constituent of the environment. Monitoring of environmental radionuclides is very vital to avoid exposure above the threshold limit. Due to this, the background radiation from 238U, 232Th, and 40K of Bell University of Technology and Canaan Land City was determined from 20 sample points each in the two areas using RS230 Gamma Spectrometer. The mean activity concentration of 40K, 238U, and 232Th for Bells University of Technology was 442.66 Bq/kg, 41.98 Bq/kg, and 48.35 Bq/Kg, respectively. In Canaan City, mean activity concentration of 40K, 238U, and 232Th was 373.65 Bq/kg, 18.85 Bq/kg, and 67.22 Bq/kg, respectively. The mean absorbed dose rates recorded by the spectrometer directly were 70.03 nGy/h and 66.65 nGy/h, while that estimated from the activity concentration were 67.06 and 64.89 nGy/h for Bells University and Canaan City, respectively. The measured and estimated absorbed dose rates were higher than the safe limit of 57 nGy/h. The mean values of other radiological parameters estimated, except that of the gamma index and excess lifetime cancer risk were lower when compared to the recommended limit. It could be concluded that the possibility of suffering any radiation risk is low in these two areas, but there is possibility of cancer risk for someone that has stayed in the area for 70 years and above.


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