Radiometric evaluation of annual effective dose in water from Zobe Dam, North-Western, Nigeria

Abstract

The communities located closed to the Zobe Dam which flows through many tributaries in Kastina State, utilizes the dam water for irrigation, drinking and other domestic activities. The level of radionuclide in water varies due to human factors, geological and geographical locations. There is need to evaluate the radiological health risk of the communities that uses the water for domestic activities, due to extensive farming around the dam. The annual effective dose (ADE) due to gross alpha and beta particles assists to estimate the radiological risks connected with making use of water in Zobe Dam for domestic purposes, were estimated. The low background Gas-less Alpha/Beta counting system (MPC 2000DP), was used to evaluate the alpha and beta activity concentration of the sample. The alpha activity ranged was 0.735±0.43 to 11.401±0.29 Bq/L, while the beta activity ranged from BDL to 11.891±0.57Bq/L. The AED varied from 0.150 to 8.319 mSv/year for adults, 0.075 to 4.160 mSv/year for children, and 0.038 to 2.080 mSv/year for infants, respectively. The average AED in adults, children and infant exceeded the ICRP dose limits of 0.1mSv/year. Water utilized for domestic purposes from the Dam could be quite risky because of intense farm activities and existence of natural radionuclide, if sufficient steps are not performed.