External dose assessment from the measured radioactivity in soil samples collected from the Islamabad capital territory, Pakistan

Abstract

It is a well known fact that natural radionuclides are the major contributors towards the gamma ray exposure received by the general public. In this context, soil samples were collected from the Islamabad capital territory and activities due to (226)Ra, (232)Th, (40)K and (137)Cs were measured using gamma ray spectrometry: activities ranged from 41.5-106.2 Bq kg(-1), 4.0-193.8 Bq kg(-1), 325.3-657.4 Bq kg(-1) and 1.6-9.45 Bq kg(-1), respectively. From the measured activities, the external hazard index, internal hazard index, absorbed dose rate and mean annual effective dose were calculated. External and internal hazard indices were calculated as 0.76 and 0.95, respectively. The mean absorbed dose rate was found to be 130.97 nGy h(-1). The mean effective dose was estimated as 0.16 mSv y(-1), which is less than the maximum permissible dose of 1 mSv y(-1).

Effect of the Grain Size of the Soil on the Measured Activity and Variation in Activity in Surface and Subsurface Soil Samples

“…The radium equivalent of the samples (Bq/kg) was calculated by the following equation (Rahman et al, 2009): Ra eq = (AK ´ 0.077)+(AU)+(ATh ´ 1.43)…”

Assessment of Radioactivity in Some Soil Samples of Qatar by Gamma-Ray Spectroscopy and the Derived Dose Rates

“…Radium equivalent of the samples (Bq/kg) was calculated by the following equation (Rahman et al, 2009): Ra eq = (A K ´ 0.077) + (A U ) + (A Th ´ 1.43) (3)…”

“…The worldwide literature on the levels of natural radiation from soil is rich (Rahman et al, 2009;Kurnaz et al, 2007;Ramli et al, 2005;Rani and Singh, 2005;Yang et al, 2005;Banzi et al, 2000;Karahan and Bayulken, 2000), however, the number of studies made in the Arabian Gulf is comparatively limited (Al-Hamarneh and Awadallah 2009;Saad, 2002;Goddard, 2001).…”

Assessment of Annual Effective Dose from Measured Soil Radioactivity Levels Using HPGe Detector

“…It is an established fact that radioactivity in the soil adds to the background level of radiation and human beings are exposed. The level of contribution to the background radiation depends on the concentration of the radioactive materials in the soil but this amount may vary from area to area [1][2][3].…”