Abstract
Activity concentrations of natural radioactivity of 40K, 238U, 226Ra, and 232Th were reviewed in connection with rock, soil, sediments, and water in the Northern and Southern parts of Nigeria to estimate the radiation dose acquire by the population. The activity concentrations of the various radionuclides from rock samples collected from different locations were generally higher than those of other environmental matrices. Comparative distribution maps of 40K, 238U, and 232Th show the distribution of activity concentration in the Northern and Western part of Nigeria. The activity concentrations 40K, 238U, and 232Th in rock ranges from 40 Bq kg-1 to 1203 Bq kg-1, 34 Bq kg-1 to 7220 Bq kg-1, and 8 Bq kg-1 to 1680 Bq kg-1 respectively. In soil it ranges from 98.7 Bq kg-1 to 1023.3 Bq kg-1, 15.6 Bq kg-1 to 55.3 Bq kg-1, and 5.2 Bq kg-1 to 195.5 Bq kg-1 respectively. In sediment it ranges 97 Bq kg-1 to 1023 Bq kg-1, 12 Bq kg-1 to 47.9 Bq kg-1, and 11.7 Bq kg-1 to 55.3 Bq kg-1. The concentration of 40K and 238U in granite rocks are higher than the recommended permissible value. All the water samples were found to contain acceptable levels of radionuclides with mean activity values of 3.98±0.26, 11.00±2.58, and 17.73±5.04 Bql-1 for 40K, 232Th, and 238U, respectively showing that the mean activity of 238U for all the samples is the highest when compared with those of 40K and 232Th. The mean absorbed dose rate for all the area is 0.123mSvyr-1, which is very low when compared to the recommended limit of 1mSvyr-1 for water.
Highlights
The numerous attention expressed globally for the investigation of environmental radioactivity and naturally occurring radiation has resulted in broad surveys in many nations
The expansion of mineral extraction is associated with the rise to the Earth's surface of a large mass of rocks, including an increased level of radioactivity, which is accompanied by anthropogenic pollution by natural radionuclides of large areas
The estimation of natural background radiation is of particular significance because it accounts for about 80% of the combined radiation exposure of the global populace
Summary
The numerous attention expressed globally for the investigation of environmental radioactivity and naturally occurring radiation has resulted in broad surveys in many nations. Occurring radioactive material (NORM) have different concentrations for various geographic location; the natural background radiation levels differ round the globe (UNSCEAR 2000) [3] It is safe with no harmful effects on humans and the environment in most countries, while in some other countries, a high level of natural radionuclides concentrations are discovered in places Ramsar in Iran and Guarapari in Brazil [4]. These are the reason for the increase in the number of people ( professionals and the population) exposed to the impact of increasing doses of radiation, as well as interest in the background radiation is associated primarily with the solution of the question: what radiation doses are safe for humans and what is the real danger. The study aims to provide a general review to determine the activity concentration of natural radionuclide in samples of rock, soil, sediment, and water
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