Natural radioactivity measurements and evaluation of radiological hazards in sediment of Oguta Lake, South East Nigeria

Abstract

SedimentOguta Lake Excess lifetime cancer risk a b s t r a c tThe distributions of naturally occurring radionuclides 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K in sediments of Oguta Lake, Nigeria were determined using gamma ray spectrometry in order to assess the radiological health hazards and excess lifetime cancer risks associated with the use of the sediments. The mean activity concentrations of 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K were found to be 47.89 ± 18.67 Bq kg À1 , 55.37 ± 32.74 Bq kg À1 and 1023 ± 474 Bq kg À1 , respectively. The results of the radiological indices and dose rates obtained in this study were all higher than their worldwide mean values but lower than their maximum recommended limits indicating that the use of the sediments as building materials do not constitute any excessive radiological hazards. The area is known to be subjected to environmental degradations due to oil exploration. Therefore, the results of this study could serve as an important radiometric baseline data upon which future epidemiological studies and environmental monitoring initiatives could be based.

Precise Assessment of gamma absorbed dose rates using different techniques.

“…In a previous work [8] the conversion factors C 1 , C 2 and C 3 at the center point of space of the room were determined where their value are found, to great extent, similar to those predicted by Isinkaye and Emelue, (2015) [21] based on the formula given by the European Commission, 1999 [22]. The applied approach proved that there is a significant variation corresponding to building composition (18%), position inside the room (17%) and density of the building materials (up to 32%).…”

Radiological hazard indices and elemental composition of Brazilian and Swiss ornamental rocks

“…The results of AEDE were lower than the average annual indoor effective dose from terrestrial radionuclides of 0.41 mSv y -1 [42] in six samples from Switzerland and in five samples from Brazil.…”

Radioactivity Investigation of Sediment Samples from Beni Haroun Dam Using High-Resolution Gamma-Ray Spectroscopy

“…The values of Ra eq , H ex and H in in the study area are below their permissible limits, which indicates that the sediments do not pose any significant radiation hazard. Table III illustrates the comparison of the results obtained in present study with the activity concentrations of natural radionuclides reported in [12][13][14][15][16] for some African countries. The mean values of 226 Ra, 232 Th in sediment samples of the present work are higher than those of the other countries, with the exception of Nigeria and Sudan.…”

“…In order to obtain the information about the present levels of environmental radioactivity, various studies were carried out in many countries [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. In the current work, sediment samples were collected near Beni Haroun Dam.…”