Specific Activity and Radioactive Contour Maps of Natural (40K, 226Ra and 232Th) and Anthropogenic (137Cs) Radionuclides in Surface Soil Samples from Phang Nga Province, Thailand

2014 ◽  
Vol 979 ◽  
pp. 35-38
Author(s):  
Prasong Kessaratikoon ◽  
Ruthairat Boonkrongcheep ◽  
Supphawut Benjakul ◽  
Suchin Udomsomporn

The specific activity of the natural (40K, 226Ra and 232Th) and anthropogenic (137Cs) radionuclides have been studied and evaluated for 97 surface soil samples collected from 7 districts of Phang Nga province in the south of Thailand. High-purity germanium (HPGe) detector and gamma ray spectrometry analysis system were employed to measure and analyze the experimental results. It was found that, the ranges of specific activities of 40K, 226Ra, 232Th and 137Cs in surface soil samples are 251.50 – 15740.34, 15.21 – 791.42, 18.14 – 854.34 and < 0.33 – 16.91 Bq/kg with average values are 2886.77 ± 225.93, 165.71 ± 8.45, 160.36 ± 7.93 and 5.76 ± 2.49 Bq/kg, respectively. The results were also compared with some research data in national and global radioactivity measurement and evaluations. Furthermore, the radiological hazards of Phang Nga province were calculated through the radium equivalent activity (Raeq), the external hazard index (Hex), the gamma absorbed dose rate (D) and the annual effective dose rate (AEDout) and also compared with research data in the south of Thailand and the safety limits recommended values by United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR). Moreover, the radioactive contour maps of the natural (40K, 226Ra and 232Th) and anthropogenic (137Cs) radionuclides have been also created for the investigated area.

2013 ◽  
Vol 770 ◽  
pp. 108-111
Author(s):  
Sutthinee Chauymanee ◽  
Prasong Kessaratikoon ◽  
Ruthairat Boonkrongcheep ◽  
Supphawut Benjakul ◽  
Udorn Youngchauy

Specific activities of anthropogenic radionuclide (137Cs) were studied and determined in 132 surface soil samples collected from 8 districts in Chumphon province in the south of Thailand. A high resolution high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector with a massive lead shield and gamma spectrometry analysis system were employed to measure the gamma ray energy spectra from the samples. The specific activity of 137Cs in all of surface soil samples were analyzed by using the IAEA/SL-2 radioactive standard source. It was found that the specific activities of 137Cs ranged from < 0.33 4.43 Bq/kg with mean values of 2.30 ± 1.38 Bq/kg. The experimental results were also compared with research data in the south of Thailand (2009 2012), Office of Atoms for Peace (OAP) annual report data and global radioactivity measurement and evaluations. The data can be also used to create the radioactive contour maps of the investigated area.


2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-78 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shyamal Chakraborty

The specific activities of 232Th, 238U, 40K, and 137Cs in undisturbed surface soil at 56 locations of Bangladesh, covering its entire area, were measured using high resolution HPGe detector. The mean specific activity concentrations of the mentioned radionuclides were respectively found to be 83.56 ? 17.96 Bq/kg, 44.35 ? 12.65 Bq/kg, 630.89 ? 173.85 Bq/kg, and 5.37 ? ? 4.87 Bq/kg. A good correlation between the activities of 232Th and 238U was found. The radiological parameters namely radium equivalent activity, representative level index, external hazard index, internal hazard index, absorbed dose rate, and effective annual outdoor dose rate due to the natural radionuclides were also calculated. The average values of the mentioned parameters were found to be 212.26 ? 43.93 Bq/kg, 1.55 ? 0.32 Bq/kg, 0.29 ? 0.06, 0.69 ? 0.15, 97.27 ? 20.03 nGy/h, and 119.37 ? 24.58 mSv/y, respectively. The radiation dose levels at the points of sample collection were also measured by a portable radiation dose rate-meter. The average value of the outdoor dose rate was found to be 0.20 ? 0.07 mSv/h ranging from 0.16 ? 0.02 mSv/h to 0.28 ? 0.04 mSv/h. The distributions of natural radionuclides were found to be normal. The concentration levels of different radionuclides were comparable to the corresponding reported values of the soil of different countries.


Author(s):  
Iman Tarik Al-Alawy ◽  
Monar Deya Salim

The specific activity of natural radionuclides in 24 soil samples collected from antiquities area of Ur city in Dhi-Qar province (31.0459863N, 46.2534257E) in southern Iraq have been studied and evaluated. Experimental results were obtained by using a Gamma ray spectrometer analysis system consists of a scintillation detector Sodium Iodide activated by Thallium NaI(Tl) of (3"×3") crystal dimension at the laboratory of radiation detection and measurement in Science Collage, University of Kufa. The spectrometer has been calibrated for energy by acquiring a spectrum from four standard sources of gamma radiations supplied by spectrum techniques (LLC). The measuring time of all soil samples is 18000 seconds; it was found that, the soil specific activity ranges from 29.93±2.97 to 9.99±2.56Bq/kg for 238U, from 25.66±2.55 to 7.77±2.24Bq/kg for 232Th and from 397.38±12.06 to 215.75±8.91Bq/kg for 40K, with mean values of 17.9±3.02Bq/kg, 13.66±2.41Bq/kg and 314.62±11.3Bq/kg, respectively. The results have been compared with the acceptable data of the worldwide literatures. In order to evaluate the radiological hazard of the natural radioactivity, the radium equivalent activity (Raeq), the gamma absorbed dose rate (AD), the annual effective dose rate and the both (external and internal) hazard index have been calculated and compared with the acceptable values of the worldwide average (UNSCEAR 2000).


This work was undertaken with the purpose of measuring natural radioactivity, due to 238U, 232Th and 40K in 30 soil samples collected from two hospitals in the governorate of (AL-Najaf), in Iraq. The samples were distributed (15) samples per hospital, and Radiation risks were also calculated for all soil samples. The natural radioactivity was measured using NaI (Tl) detector, the results of the specific activity at the Al Sadr Hospital were 238U ranged from (5.89±0.36 to 21.38±0.69) (Bq/kg) with average value 12.60±0.51 (Bq/kg). 232Th from (0.44±0.06 to 14.67±0.37) (Bq/kg) with average value (4.46±0.19) (Bq/kg), and 40K from (252.14±2.54 to 478.24±3.50) (Bq/kg) with average value (346.95±289) (Bq/kg). AL-Forat AL-Aosat hospital results were 238U ranged from (0.69±0.12 to 27.63±0.74) (Bq/kg) with average value (12.84±0.51) (Bq/kg), 232Th from (1.47±0.11 to 9.3±0.31 (Bq/kg) with average value 6.19±0.24 (Bq/kg), and 40K from (192.88±2.27 to 338.52±3.08) (Bq/kg) with average value (254.29±2.54) (Bq/kg). The radiation risks calculated, Radium Equivalent (Raeq), external Hazard index (Hex), absorbed dose rate (ADr), total Annual Effective Dose Equivalent (AEDE), and the Excess Life Cancer Risk (ELCR). The results were for Al Sadr Hospital (45.7063(Bq/kg), 0.1234, 23.0648(nGy/h), 0.0283(mSV/y), 1.247439702×10-3) respectively. For AL-Forat AL-Aosat hospital were (41.2655 (Bq/kg), 0.111, 20.3772 (nGy/h), 0.0250(mSV/y)`, 1.102083688×10-3) respectively. The results in the two hospitals were compared with the global allowable values ratio within the permissible ranges specified by UNSCER, OCDE, and ICRP; we concluded that all the sites in this study are safe.


2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 169-180
Author(s):  
Md Samiul Ehsan ◽  
Md Faisal Rahman ◽  
Nafisa Tabassum ◽  
Md Mahidul Haque Prodhan ◽  
Shikha Pervin ◽  
...  

The study has been carried out to measure the activity concentration of natural and anthropogenic radionuclides in fifteen(15) soil samples of Natore, Kushtia and Pabna district, which are around the 30 km peripheral area of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, by gamma ray spectrometry system using a High Purity Germanium (HPGe) detector. It is found that the activity concentration of 226Ra, in the collected sample was from 3.52 Bq/kg to 28.5 Bq/kg with the average value of 12.42 Bq/kg. For 232Th, the range was from 4.18 Bq/kg to 34.5 Bq/kg with the average value of 12.6 Bq/kg. Finally, the activity concentration of 40K, in the collected sample was in the range of 84 Bq/kg to 345 Bq/kg, and the average value was 198.9 Bq/kg. The absorbed dose rate (D) was found to be in the range of 4.59 nGy/h to 40.93 nGy/h with the mean value 21.3 nGy/h. The annual effective dose (E) was in the range of 0.006 mSv/yr to 0.152 mSv/yr with an average of 0.033 mSv/yr. The radium equivalent activity was in the range from 10.02 Bq/kg to 89 Bq/kg with an average of 44.99 Bq/kg. The external hazard index (Hex) was found to be in the range of 0.027 to 0.242 with the mean value of 0.121 and the internal hazard index (Hin) was found to be in the range of 0.044 to 0.302 with the mean value of 0.156. All the values are much below the recommended limit by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), 35 Bq/kg for 226Ra, 30 Bq/kg for 232Th and 400 Bq/kg for 40K. According to international and national regulation, the annual dose to members of the public, 1 mSvy-1 and Hex & Hin must be lower than unity. Moreover, no artificial radioactivity was found in the soil samples of this study area. This research concludes that the found values are within the permissible limits as required by the Nuclear Safety and Radiation Control(NSRC) Rules-1997 of Bangladesh and International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA) Safety Standards- General Safety Requirements (GSR): Part-3. Journal of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences, Vol. 43, No. 2, 169-180, 2019


2021 ◽  
pp. 2940-2947
Author(s):  
Farah Faris Kaddoori ◽  
Basim Khalaf Rejah ◽  
Sala Sami Hamza ◽  
Karima Saber Wadi

   In the present work, radium (226Ra), thorium (232Th), potassium (40 K), and cesium (137Cs) (Bq/kg) was measured for 24 soil samples of some districts of Al-Doura city in Baghdad governorate. The gamma spectrometry method with NaI (Tl) detector was used for radiometric measurements. The average values of specific activity for   226Ra, 232Th, 40K and 137Cs in soil samples were 38.03, 42.48, 16.34 and 2.76 Bq/kg, respectively. The radiation indicators were measured and the average values recorded were 100 Bq/kg, 44.6 nGy/h, 0.27 Bq/kg, 0.373 Bq/kg, 0.219 mSv/y, 0.055 mSv/y and 0.689 Bq/kg for the parameters of radium equivalent activity (Raeq), the absorbed dose rate (D), the external hazard index (Hex), the internal risk index (Hin), and the annual effective equivalent dose for the indoor (In Eff.), outdoor annual effective dose equivalent (Out Eff.) and representative gamma index (Iγr), respectively. All the health hazard indices were well below their recommended limits, except in one soil sampling site (AL-Eskan site) which were found to be 0.495 Hex and 0.668 Hin.


2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Wasim ◽  
Sardar Ali Shah ◽  
Arfan Tariq ◽  
Manzoor Ali

Abstract Distribution of natural and anthropogenic radionuclides (226Ra, 232Th, 137Cs and 40K) was determined in 32 samples from Ghizer, an Eastern Hindukush district at an altitude of 2286 m in Pakistan using high resolution gamma-ray spectrometry. Mineralogical analysis by X-ray diffractometry identified quartz, calcite, albite and anorthite as major phases whereas actinolite, chlorite serpentine and kaolinite as minor phases. The activity concentrations for 226Ra, 232Th, 137Cs and 40K varied from 25.2 ± 1.7 to 145.3 ± 10.1 Bq kg−1, 24.9 ± 1.1 to 197 ± 9 Bq kg−1, 2.03 ± 0.21 to 16.7 ± 1.1 and 252 ± 6 to 1433 ± 35 Bq kg−1, respectively. The samples yielded average radium equivalent activity as 178.4 ± 23.3 Bq kg−1. The majority of the samples revealed external hazard index and representative level index less than one. The average air absorbed dose rate was 91.2 ± 13.6 nGy h−1 corresponding to the annual effective dose rate 111.8 ± 17.4 μSv y−1. These values were higher than the world averages for air absorbed dose rate and outdoor annual effective dose rate. Principal component analysis was applied to obtain distribution pattern within the samples and among the radionuclides.


2018 ◽  
Vol 53 (4) ◽  
pp. 265-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Penabei ◽  
D. Bongue ◽  
P. Maleka ◽  
T. Dlamini ◽  
Saïdou ◽  
...  

In order to assess the levels of natural radioactivity and the associated radiological hazards in some building materials of the Mayo-Kebbi region (Chad), a total of nineteen samples were collected on the field. Using a high resolution γ-ray spectrometry system, the activity concentrations of radium (226Ra), thorium (232Th) and potassium (40K) in these samples have been determined. The measured average activity concentrations range from 0.56 ± 0.37 Bq kg−1 to 435 ± 7 Bq kg−1, 1.3 ± 0.6 Bq kg−1 to 50.6 ± 1.1 Bq kg−1 and 4.3 ± 2.0 Bq kg−1 to 840 ± 9 Bq kg−1, for 226Ra, 232Th and 40K, respectively. The highest 226Ra average activities is found in soil brick samples of Zabili. The highest mean value of 232Th and 40K concentrations are found in soil brick samples of Madajang. The activity concentration and the radium equivalent activity (Raeq) have been compared to other studies done elsewhere in the world. Their average values are lower than most of those of countries with which the comparison has been made. Were also evaluated, the external radiation hazard index, the internal radiation hazard index, the indoor air absorbed dose rate, the outdoor air absorbed dose rate, the activity utilization index, the annual effective dose, the annual gonadal dose equivalent, the representative level index, as well as, the excess lifetime cancer risk. In accordance with the criterion of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, our results show that soil brick samples of Zabili and Madajang increases the risk of radiation exposure, thereby the possibility of developing cancer by people living in this environment. Based on these findings, brick samples from Zabili and Madajang are not recommended for construction purposes. All other sample materials have properties that are acceptable for use as building materials in terms of radiation hazard.


1970 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 117-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
KA Kabir ◽  
SMA Islam ◽  
MM Rahman

This paper presents the first reports on the natural and anthropogenic radionuclides in soil and sediment of Jessore, a south-western district of Bangladesh. Surface soil and freshwater sediment were collected from in and around some major water-bodies of this district. To assess the radiological hazard of the natural radioactivity, the radium equivalent activity, the absorbed dose rate, and the external and internal hazard indices were calculated. In the soil and sediment in general, the activity concentration of 232Th was found to be higher than that of  226Ra, while that of 40K markedly exceeds the values of both 226Ra and 232Th. The average activities of 226Ra and 232Th in this area were found to be higher than the world average. There was no activity due to fallout (137Cs) in this area. The radium equivalent activity and the absorbed dose rate due to the natural radionuclides were found to be respectively lower and higher than the world average. The external and internal hazard indices were found to be well below the hazard limit of unity. Our results compare fairly well with other published results.  Key words: Soil, Sediment, Natural lake, Radioactivity, Dose rate DOI: 10.3329/jbas.v33i1.2956 Journal of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences, Vol. 33, No. 1, 117-130, 2009


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