Abstract
This study is to assess the natural radioactivity level in soil samples in communities bordering the Tano Basin in Ghana. The radioactivity concentration of 238U, 232Th and 40K have been determined using γ-ray spectrometry, moreover, the absorbed dose rates and annual effective dose were calculated. MATLAB R2013 script was written to simulate the decay of the radionuclides 238U, 232Th and 40K using their respective half-lives. This is to determine the future impact of natural radionuclides and estimate future anthropogenic inputs. The level 238U, 232Th, and 40K ranged from (1.60 to 21.3), (2.78 to 32.2) and (111 to 528) with average values of be 8.65 Bqkg−1, 12.5 Bqkg−1 and 214 Bqkg−1 respectively in soil. The activity concentrations were lower than United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation guidelines for 238U, 232Th and 40K. The absorbed dose rates and annual effective dose were found to be in range of 7.79 to 37.8 nGy h−1 and 9.56E + 00 to 4.64E + 01 µSvy−1 respectively. The overall annual effective dose was lower than the allowable limit of 1mSvy−1 set by International Commission on Radiological Protection. Hex, Hin and excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) were calculated and found to be within internationally recommended values.
Highlights
Soil is a source of continuous radiation exposure to humans[1], it is a medium of migration and transfer of radionuclides to biological systems[1,2]
The main objectives of this study are: (1) to develop a modelling tool that will be used to predict radionuclide levels; (2) to evaluate the potential for radiation exposure and the health risks to the public associated with estimated doses; and (3) to establish background data on naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) contamination for future referencing as a result of oil and gas drilling in Ghana
The levels of 238U, 232Th, 40K in soil samples collected from communities along Tano
Summary
Soil is a source of continuous radiation exposure to humans[1], it is a medium of migration and transfer of radionuclides to biological systems[1,2]. Soil radioactivity studies largely focus on radiation protection and establishing baseline data for future radiation impact assessments[7]. They estimate changes in environmental radioactivity caused by nuclear, industrial, and other human activities[8]. Studying the distribution of radionuclides in the environment improves our understanding of radiation damage, and, is of great importance as a reference when standards and regulatory control actions on radiation protection are established[5,13,14]. The disposal of toxic wastes from oil and gas drilling activities that contain radionuclides and trace metals should be an important target in achieving this goal. This is important as radionuclides in the soil can be leached into and transported via groundwater, drainage, and dust, and incorporated into the food chain[16,17,18]
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