Mean Radium Equivalent Activity Research Articles

Gamma activity and radiation dose in concrete building blocks used for construction of dwellings in Jos, Nigeria

Radioactivity concentrations of concrete building block samples made and used in Jos, Nigeria, were determined using a gamma ray spectrometry method. The mean values of the radioactivity concentrations were calculated as 66, 126 and 589 Bq kg(-1) for (226)Ra, (232)Th and (40)K, respectively. The radium equivalent activities ranged between 131 and 712 Bq kg(-1), with six of the samples exceeding the UNSCEAR reported maximum permissible level of 370 Bq kg(-1). The mean radium equivalent activity (292 Bq kg(-1)) is higher than the values available in the literature for some countries by factors ranging between 2 and 5, a situation that can be traced to the practice of sourcing sand aggregates from mining sites. The indoor annual effective dose for a dwelling of dimension 3.6 x 3.6 x 3.0 m(3) was calculated as 0.81 mSv.

Radioactivity concentrations and dose assessment for soil samples from Kestanbol granite area, Turkey

The concentrations and distribution of natural and anthropogenic radionuclides in soils from around the Kestanbol (Canakkale), Turkey were investigated with an aim of evaluating the environmental radioactivity and radiological health hazard. Concentrations of radionuclides in the samples were determined by gamma ray spectrometer using HPGe detector. In the soils in general, the concentration of (232)Th was found to be higher than that of the (238)U and the activities of (232)Th and (238)U in this area are higher than the world average. (137)Cs was observed in all the samples, ranging from 0.37 +/- 0.22 to 36.03 +/- 0.54 Bq kg(-1). The mean radium equivalent activity, external hazard index and terrestrial absorbed dose rate for the area under study are 498 Bq kg(-1), 1.4 and 219 nGy h(-1), respectively. The annual effective dose to the public was found to be 269 muSv. The present data were compared with data obtained from different countries.

Measurement of radioactivity in the soil of Bahawalpur division, Pakistan

Bahawalpur is the largest division of the Punjab province in Pakistan. It is larger than many countries of the world. Gamma activity from the naturally occurring radionuclides namely 226Ra, 232Th, the primordial radionuclide 40K and the artificial radionuclide 137Cs was measured in the soil of the Bahawalpur division using gamma spectrometry technique. The mean activity of 226Ra, 232Th, 40K and 137Cs were found to be 32.9 +/- 0.9, 53.6 +/- 1.4, 647.4 +/- 14.1 and 1.5 +/- 0.2 Bq kg(-1), respectively. The mean radium equivalent activity Raeq, external hazard index, internal hazard index and terrestrial absorbed dose rate for the area under study are 158.5 +/- 4.1 Bq kg(-1), 0.4, 0.5 and 77.32 nGy h(-1), respectively. The annual effective dose equivalent to the public was found to be 0.5 mSv.