Assessment of radionuclide distribution and associated radiological hazards of soils in Mayo-Belwa, Adamawa state

Authors

Keywords:

Radioactivity, Gamma Spectroscopy, Soil, Hazard Indices

Abstract

Mayo-Belwa Local Government Area has been reported to have deposits of Uranium; hence this study was carried out to measure radionuclide activities in Mayo-Belwa soils and to monitor their potential impact on human health. Soils from a depth of 10 cm were collected from each location, using CANBERA NaI (Tl) detector, the activity concentration of radionuclides of 10 soil samples was measured. The radionuclide concentration ranged between 72.7069 - 116.8504 Bq.kg−1 for 238U (measured by 226Ra activity), 148.9168 -981.4994 Bq.kg−1 for 40K and 22.3332 - 108.5203 Bq.kg−1for 232Th. The gamma absorbed dose rate, annual effective dose rate, ranged between 61.3932138.1076 nGyh−1 , 0.0830 - 0.211 mSvy−1 with mean values of 95.1762 ± 21.5257 and 0.1216±0.0359 respectively. The values obtained were compared with the reported data from UNSCEAR, 2000 and ICRP 2005. The excess lifetime cancer risk ranged between 0.00026-0.00061 with an average value of 8.44×10−4. The gamma, internal and external hazard indices ranged between 0.4631-1.0975, 0.5969- 0.9978 and 0.3601-0.8087 respectively. However, dose rates recorded in all locations were above the 60 nGyh−1 recommended limits by UNSCEAR 2000. Furthermore, Ganglare had a gamma index above 1, implying a significant radiation hazard. Also, the average excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) of 0.844 × 10−3 was relatively high (t < 0.05) and compared to the world average value of 0.29 ×10−3. With the help of this study, we were able to establish the fundamental facts about the levels of radioactivity and related radiological dangers that exist in the soil of Mayo-Belwa Local Government.

Dimensions

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Published

2023-11-26

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Assessment of radionuclide distribution and associated radiological hazards of soils in Mayo-Belwa, Adamawa state. (2023). Recent Advances in Natural Sciences, 1(2), 25. https://doi.org/10.61298/rans.2023.1.2.25

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Volume 1, Issue 2, December 2023

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Copyright (c) 2023 I. Catherine, O. C. Meludu, O. P. Idowu, Dolapo S. Olaniyan, Kolwole. E. Adesina

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How to Cite

Assessment of radionuclide distribution and associated radiological hazards of soils in Mayo-Belwa, Adamawa state. (2023). Recent Advances in Natural Sciences, 1(2), 25. https://doi.org/10.61298/rans.2023.1.2.25