Title: Evaluation and analysis of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K and radon exhalation rate in the soil samples for health risk assessment

Authors: Sandeep Kansal; Rohit Mehra

Addresses: Department of Physics, Giani Zail Singh Punjab Technical University Campus, Bathinda 151001, Punjab, India ' Department of Physics, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar 144001, Punjab, India

Abstract: The measurements of radium, thorium and potassium using gamma spectrometry and radon exhalation rates using solid-state nuclear track detectors (LR-115, Type-II plastic) are carried out in the soil samples collected from some parts of western districts of Haryana, India. The activity concentrations of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K range from 13.93 to 142 Bq kg⁻¹, 35.95 to 91.78 Bq kg⁻¹ and 299.57 to 1056.77 Bq kg⁻¹, respectively. The values of total absorbed dose and annual effective dose (indoors and outdoors) were found to vary from 42.12 to 140.05 nGy h⁻¹, 0.22 to 0.69 mSv y⁻¹ and 0.05 to 0.17 mSv y⁻¹ respectively. The radium equivalent activity (Ra_eq) in all the soil samples varies from 92.51 to 287.08 Bq kg⁻¹ with an average of 184.15 Bq kg⁻¹. The radium values are lower than the recommended safe limit of 370 Bq kg⁻¹ hence there is no radiological risk to the residents of the studied area.

Keywords: gamma spectrometry; Ra_eq; annual effective dose; radium; thorium; potassium; radon exhalation rate; soil contamination; environmental pollution; health risk assessment; solid state nuclear track detectors; radiological risks; natural radioactivity; low radiation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLR.2015.071747

International Journal of Low Radiation, 2015 Vol.10 No.1, pp.1 - 13

Received: 20 Jan 2014
Accepted: 14 Jan 2015
Published online: 17 Sep 2015 *