Natural and anthropogenic radioactivity levels and the associated radiation hazard in the soil of Oodalia Tea Estate in the hilly region of Fatickchari in Chittagong, Bangladesh.

Abstract

Radioactivity in the soil of a tea garden in the Fatickchari area in Chittagong, Bangladesh, was measured using a high-resolution HPGe detector. The soil samples were collected from depths of up to 20 cm beneath the soil surface. The activity concentrations of naturally occurring 238U and 232Th were observed to be in the range of 27 ± 7 to 53 ± 8 Bq kg−1 and 36 ± 11 to 72 ± 11 Bq kg−1, respectively. The activity concentration of 40K ranged from 201 ± 78 to 672 ± 81 Bq kg−1, and the highest activity of fallout 137Cs observed was 10 ± 1 Bq kg−1. The average activity concentration observed for 238U was 39 ± 8 Bq kg−1, for 232Th was 57 ± 11 Bq kg−1, for 40K was 384 ± 79 Bq kg−1 and for 137Cs was 5 ± 0.5 Bq kg−1. The radiological hazard parameters (representative level index, radium equivalent activity, outdoor and indoor dose rates, outdoor and indoor annual effective dose equivalents, and radiation hazard index) were calculated from the radioactivity in the soil.