Evaluation of radionuclides in the terrestrial environment of Western Ghats

Study of Gross Alpha and Gross Beta Activities in Rock Samples of Western Ghats in Kanyakumari District

“…Almost all the rocks contain naturally occurring radionuclides such as 238 U, 232 Th and 40 K [2]. Available information indicates that the deposits of monazite on the coastal areas of Kerala and TamilNadu are formed due to the weathering of rocks in Western Ghats [3] [8]. Natural Radioactive concentration depends mainly on geological and geographical conditions and appears at different levels in rocks from different geological regions (UNSCEAR 2000) [4].…”

Distribution of natural and artificial radioactivity in soils, water and tuber crops

“…The concentrations of 40 K in the soil samples were lower compared with the global average value of 400 Bq/kg (Manigandan and Chandar 2014;Ndontchueng et al 2014 However, soil samples from farms located in Bomaa and Koforidua recorded average activity concentration of 33.73 and 34.47 Bq/kg, respectively, for 238 U that is higher compared with the world average for 238 U. Furthermore, soil samples collected from farms located in Bomaa, Subriso, and Koforidua recorded average activities of 46.42, 42.64 and 48.17 Bq/kg for 232 Th, respectively, which were also higher than the world average of 35.0 Bq/kg.…”

The 226Ra, 232Th and 40K contents in the Abakaliki baked shale construction materials and their potential radiological risk to public health, southeastern Nigeria

“…Thus, the activity concentration index should be used only as a screening tool for identifying materials that might be of concern when used in construction. There are some discussions on the dose criteria for gamma index levels for construction materials (25,26). According to European Commission (31) and Taskin et al (35), values of representative level index I γr ≤ 0.5 corresponds to an annual effective dose criterion of 0.3 mSvy -1 , whereas 2 ≤ I γr ≤ 6 corresponds to an annual effective dose criterion of 1 mSvy-1.…”