Abstract
Radionuclide concentrations in coal ash, soil mixed with coal ash and soil were determined using the gamma spectroscopic method. The average activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K in coal ash samples were found as 35.0, 5.8, and 109.4 Bq/kg, respectively. The average activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in soil mixed with coal ash samples varied from 21.2 to 30.8, 48.6 to 82.7, and 162.5 to 180.1 Bq/kg, respectively. The activity concentrations of radionuclides from the non-mixed soil area, which serves as a control to this study ranged from 123.95 to 128.82, 16.33 to 18.38, and 46.63 to 50.30 Bq/kg, respectively for radionuclides 40K, 226Ra, and 232Th, respectively. From the radiological calculations, it was found that the use of coal ash as a soil additive contributed slightly to the radionuclide concentrations of the area under study. Key words: Radionuclide, coal ash, radium equivalent, external and internal hazard index.  
Highlights
External exposures to radiation arise from terrestrial radionuclides present at trace levels in soil, rocks and building materials
The samples were labeled as coal ash 1 and 2 for the coal ash samples; MCA1-5 for the soil mixed with coal ash and OJC1-3 for the soil samples with no coal ash contamination
From the gamma spectroscopic analysis of the coal ash, mixed soil, and coal ash samples and the non-mixed soil and coal ash samples, the results obtained for the radionuclides concentrations are shown in Tables 1, 2, and 3
Summary
External exposures to radiation arise from terrestrial radionuclides present at trace levels in soil, rocks and building materials. Those radionuclides with halflives comparable to the age of the earth and their decay products exist in significant quantities in these materials. Many processes in non-nuclear industry create a situation where the concentration of naturally occurring radioactive material is enhanced (Solomon, 2006). Such situation usually exists in industrial processes where a significant mass reduction of raw materials occurs, typically with changes of their chemical composition or state of aggregation which might further influence their properties. Each particular occurrence of natural radioactivity presents a unique scenario of exposure, usually different from those caused by artificial radionuclides
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