Open AccessAssessment of Gamma Radiation 232Th, 226Ra and 40K in Nassarawa, Nigeria
Author(s) -
U. Rilwan,
Umar Ibrahim,
A. Z. Ngari,
Hassan Abdullahi,
H.O. Aboh
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
asian journal of research and reviews in physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2582-5992
DOI - 10.9734/ajr2p/2019/v2i430109
Subject(s) - radionuclide , effective dose (radiation) , radiation exposure , nuclear medicine , radiation dose , absorbed dose rate , dose rate , environmental science , zoology , radiochemistry , absorbed dose , dosimetry , chemistry , medicine , physics , biology , quantum mechanics
This study assessed gamma radiation from 232Th, 226Ra and 40K. Twelve soil samples collected from the study area were analyzed using Nal (TI) detector. Mean concentration for 40K, 232Th and 226Ra were found to be 483.97±7.32 Bq/kg, 28.43±5.30 Bq/kgS and 66.84±2.02 Bq/kg respectively. Absorbed Dose Rate ranged from 44.85 nGy/h to 90.71 nGy/h with a mean of 73.68 nGy/h. Effective Dose Rate ranged from 0.055 to 0.111 msv/yr with a mean of 0.090 mSv/y. The Internal and External Hazard Indices ranged from 0.271 to 0.533 Bq/kg with the mean of 0.435 Bq/kg and 0.289 to 0.675 Bq/kg with the mean of 0.512 Bq/kg respectively. It can thus be concluded that the radiation dose of the study area is minimal and seems to have low exposure for the inhabitants in and around the contaminated areas. It is therefore recommended that regular radiation monitoring exercises should be conducted on the processing sites to prevent the inhabitants of the area from high radiation exposure due to direct inhalation of finely divided particulates and dust comprised of the above-mentioned radionuclides.