Abstract
The activity concentration of natural radioactivity for soil samples collected from western and mid Libyan regions were measured using HPGe detector. The average activity concentration of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K for ten regions was found to be 51.86 ± 7.14, 75.56 ± 10.95 and 128.98 ± 6.88 Bq/kg respectively. The results obtained for the corresponding nuclides 226Ra and 232Th are above the worldwide average values (35 and 30 Bq/kg) while 40K was smaller than worldwide average (400 Bq/kg). The average outdoor absorbed dose and the annual effective dose rates due to 226Ra, 232Th and 40K were observed to be 21.51 ± 2.93 nGy/h and 0.297 ±.03 mSv/y respectively, which are lower than world average values (60 nGy/h and 0.8 mSv/y). The radium equivalent activity and external hazard indices were found less than the world wide average values.
Highlights
The knowledge of radionuclides distribution and radiation levels in the environment is important for assessing the effects of radiation exposure due to both terrestrial and extraterrestrial sources
The average outdoor absorbed dose and the annual effective dose rates due to 226Ra, 232Th and 40K were observed to be 21.51 ± 2.93 nGy/h and 0.297 ±.03 mSv/y respectively, which are lower than world average values (60 nGy/h and 0.8 mSv/y)
The activity concentration of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K has been measured for some soil and rock samples from different locations of West and Mid Libya by using gamma-ray spectrometry (HPGe) detector
Summary
The knowledge of radionuclides distribution and radiation levels in the environment is important for assessing the effects of radiation exposure due to both terrestrial and extraterrestrial sources. Terrestrial radiation is due to radioactive nuclides present in varying amounts in rocks, building materials, water, soils and atmosphere. Natural radionuclides of uranium 238U, thorium 232Th and potassium 40K are present in the earth’s crust. The gamma ray exposure in room is due to radiation emitted decay products of 226Ra, 232Th series and 40K. Natural environmental radioactivity and the related external exposure due to gamma radiation depend mainly on the geological and geographical conditions, and appear at different levels in the soils of each region in the world. The external exposure is caused by direct gamma radiation whereas internal exposure is caused by the inhalation of radon (222Rn), thorn (220Rn) and their short lived decay products. Radon is a noble gas, it can transport through porous media for instance building materials, while usually only a fraction of that produced in the material reaches the surface and enters the indoor air
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