Radiological Safety of Water from Hadejia River

Abstract

Water samples from Hadejia River in the north eastern part of Nigeria were studied in order to ascertain the suitability and radiological safety of water from the river for human consumption. Radioactive measurements, using a lead shielded sodium iodide detector coupled to a multichannel analyzer were used to estimate eight radiological parameters of water samples from Hadejia River. The results show that the values of all the parameters fall within the minimum universal standard, indicating that consuming the water pose no serious radiological hazard, especially for adults. The values of the Absorbed Dose Rate (50.10511 nGyh-1) and AEDE (12.458 mSvy-1) for the infant however portend that infant consumer could be susceptible to radiation hazard on consuming water from the River. It is however recommended that activities that are capable of enhancing the radiological content of the River be avoided within the area.