Determination of the natural radioactivity levels in north west of Dukhan, Qatar using high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometry

Car-borne survey and dose assessment from external radiation exposure in Bangka Island

With a history of more than 200 years of tin mining, Bangka Island has brought along a byproduct of heavy minerals containing radionuclide elements. There are some concerns about this byproduct material contributing to natural radiation in the environment. In this study, a car-borne survey was conducted to accurately assess natural background radiation in Bangka Island. Indoor and outdoor ambient dose rates in 146 houses were also measured to assess the radiation dose from external exposure received by the public. Soil samples were collected and measured using a gamma spectroscopy system to evaluate the contributions of specific radionuclides to external terrestrial exposure. From 3790 measurement points during the car-borne survey, the highest ambient dose equivalent rate was 596 nSv h-1 measured in Muntok area, with a mean value of 101 nSv h-1 and a median value of 95 nSv h-1. The ambient dose equivalent rate distribution map showed a relatively higher value in the northern coastal area of the island, where the Pemali tin deposit is located. The annual effective dose received from external radiation in the 146 houses in Bangka Island ranged from 0.44 to 1.30 mSv year-1, with a median value of 0.66 mSv year-1. The soil contained a relatively high amount of thorium (232Th), which contributed 69% to external radiation exposure in Bangka Island.

Conceptualization of arid region radioecology strategies for agricultural ecosystems of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Since the last decade, ambitious nuclear power programmes have begun maturing in the Arab countries, most importantly in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The region's environment and population, therefore, are prone to adverse, long-term impacts of radionuclide discharges. To calculate the associated exposure scenarios, to estimate doses and their consequences, and finally, to lay out a radiological emergency management plan, arid region radioecology is taking shape in the UAE as a major field of research. Geography, demography, food habits, weather, soil, water, flora, and fauna of the desert-marine regions are quite distinct from their temperate counterparts. This results in the need to increase the knowhows of environmental migration and bioaccumulation of radionuclides in the region's agricultural ecosystems. In this paper, we present a detailed review of the measured data from the UAE and nearby nations, generating insights for the soil radioactivity and soil-to-plant transfer phenomena under local arid conditions. In the literature, the radionuclide activity concentrations (in Bq kg^-1) vary over five orders of magnitude depending on nuclide type, sample type, and locality. Variabilities over six orders of magnitude are observed for transfer parameters too, and in-depth studies on the transfer mechanisms are usually scarce. We discuss the recent progresses made in root and foliar uptake studies with methods relatively new to sandy soils, like controlled potting, and soil K_d measurements. Showing the serious gaps in the data and interpretations, we provide a justification for the immediate experimentation in the understudied aspects of radioecology in the UAE and in arid lands in general.

Evaluation of radionuclide concentrations and average annual committed effective dose due to medicinal plants and soils commonly consumed by pregnant women in Osukuru, Tororo (Uganda)

The intention of the study was to establish the activity concentrations and the annual committed effective dose due to ingestion of medicinal plants and soils by pregnant women and their probable effects to infants. The samples of medicinal plants and soils were collected from Osukuru, Tororo District (Uganda). The naturally occurring radionuclides investigated were ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K and their activity concentrations were determined using NaI gamma detector. In the medicinal plants, the average activity concentrations of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K were found to be 6.04 Bq/kg, 9.65 Bq/kg and 359.59 Bq/kg respectively. African Basil registered the highest activity concentration of ²²⁶Ra of 10.02 Bq/kg, spider plant had the highest activity concentration of ²³²Th of 18.60 Bq/kg whereas the pumpkin registered the highest activity concentrations of ⁴⁰K of 437.92 Bq/kg. The average activity concentrations of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K in 'medicinal soils' were 68.87 Bq/kg, 78.20 Bq/kg and 477.44 Bq/kg respectively. The soils from the anthills registered the highest activity concentration of ²²⁶Ra and ⁴⁰K while the one from bricks registered the highest activity concentration of ²³²Th. The annual committed effective dose due to the ingestion of medicinal plants varied from 0.096 to 0.297 mSv/y with an average of 0.194 mSv/y in infants, 0.016-0.040 mSv/y with an average of 0.029 mSv/y for individuals of age range 12-17 years and 0.007-0.018 mSv/y with an average of 0.013 mSv/y for individuals older than 17 years. Whereas the annual committed effective dose due to the ingestion of 'medicinal soils' varied from 1.28 to 1.65 mSv/y with an average of 1.46 mSv/y in infants, 0.23-0.30 mSv/y with an average of 0.26 mSv/y (12-17 years) and 0.07-0.09 mSv/y with an average of 0.08 mSv/y for individuals older than 17 years. In medicinal plants, the annual committed effective dose for the all age groups examined were below 0.3 mSv/y (maximum world permissible as reported UNSCEAR, 2000) while that due to the ingestion of 'medicinal soils' had values higher 0.3 mSv/y in infants. The results of this study show that there is inherent danger to the infants in consuming soils during pregnancy and this should be discouraged.

RADIOECOLOGICAL IMPACT AND THE ASSOCIATED HAZARDS DUE TO NORM FROM OIL AND GAS PRODUCTION FACILITY IN THE WESTERN DESERT OF EGYPT

An oil and gas production facility in the western desert of Egypt was investigated for possible radiation risks due to the routine operation. Radium-226, Radium-228 and Potassium-40 were assessed in the soil samples collected from the adjacent soakaway pond. The average 226Ra, 228Ra and 40K activity concentrations were 881.0 ± 42.0, 966.0 ± 43.0 and 143.0 ± 8.0 Bq kg-1, respectively. Both 226Ra and 228Ra were above the world ranges, while 40K was within the world range. Water samples from the facilities effluent's produced water showed elevated levels of both radium isotopes. The effective doses at three different points on the separator outer surfaces over the period between 1995 and 2014 were assessed. The maximum reading was 5.4 μSv h-1 on 2014. The time has significantly contributed to the enhancement of the effective dose readings. However, they are still within the expected range encountered in similar studies reported by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Vertical distribution and radiological risk assessment of 137Cs and natural radionuclides in soil samples

The aims of this study were to investigate the vertical distributions of natural radionuclides 232Th, 226Ra and 40K as well as anthropogenic radionuclide 137Cs in soil samples and to analyze the correlation among the radioactivity of these radionuclides and the physiochemical characteristics of soil samples namely pH, grain size, carbonate content and organic matter. Risk assessment of the radiological hazard has also been estimated. Forty-four soil samples were collected from eleven locations in Qatar at four depth levels from 0 to 16 cm. The average concentrations of 232Th, 226Ra, 40K and 137Cs in the soil depth of 16 cm were 10, 17, 201 and 4 Bq/kg, respectively, which were within the reported world mean. The external absorbed gamma dose rate, the annual effective dose, the mean radium equivalent activity, the external hazard index and the lifetime cancer risk were 22 nGy/h, 0.027 mSv/y, 47 Bq/kg, 0.125 and 0.096 × 10-3, respectively. These values were far below the minimum recommended international values. The level of radioactivity concentrations in the soil was affected by the physiochemical characteristics of the soil. The positive correlation with highest R2 value was found among the radioactivity concentrations of 232Th and 40K and the soil clay content. Total organic carbon was also positively correlated for 226Ra and 137Cs activity concentrations, whereas, carbonate content was negatively correlated with the radioactivity concentrations of 232Th and 40K. As far as soil moisture content is concerned, the positive correlation with highest R2 value was obtained for 226Ra activity concentrations.

Analysis of the natural radioactivity concentrations of the fine dust samples in Jeju Island, Korea and the annual effective radiation dose by inhalation

This study analyzed the concentrations of potassium, thorium and uranium of the atmospheric PM₁₀ aerosols which were collected at Gosan of Jeju Island during the year of 2014. The mean mass concentration of PM₁₀ was 47.31 μg/m³. The mean radioactive concentrations of ⁴⁰K, ²³²Th and ²³⁸U were 7.89, 0.25 and 0.30 μBq/m³, respectively. The ²³²Th/²³⁸U activity concentration ratio of PM₁₀ was 0.830. The ²³²Th/²³⁸U ratio during Asian Dust days is 1.073, which is higher than those in other atmospheric conditions. The concentration ratio of ²³²Th/²³⁸U was 0.902 in China continent.

A century of oil and gas exploration in Albania: assessment of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORMs)

The Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORMs) that are potentially generated from oil and gas extractions in Albania have been disposed of without regulations for many decades, and therefore, an extensive survey in one of the most productive regions (Vlora-Elbasan) was performed. A total of 52 gamma ray spectrometry measurements of soil, oil-sand, sludge, produced water and crude oil samples were performed. We discovered that relatively low activity concentrations of (226)Ra, (228)Ra, (228)Th and (40)K, with concentrations of 23±2Bq/kg, 23±2Bq/kg, 24±3Bq/kg and 549±12Bq/kg, respectively, came from the oil-sands produced by the hydrocarbon extraction of the molasses formations. The mineralogical characterizations and the (228)Ra/(40)K and (226)Ra/(40)K ratios of these Neogene deposits confirmed the predictions of the geological and geodynamic models of a dismantling of the Mesozoic source rocks. The average activity concentrations (±standard deviations) of the radium isotopes ((226)Ra and (228)Ra) and of the (228)Th and (40)K radionuclides in soil samples were 20±5Bq/kg, 25±10Bq/kg, 25±9Bq/kg and 326±83Bq/kg, respectively. Based on the measurements in this study, the future radiological assessments of other fields in the region should be strategically planned to focus on the oil-sands from the molasses sediments. Disequilibrium in the (228)Ra decay segment was not observed in the soil, sludge or oil-sand samples within the standard uncertainties. After a detailed radiological characterization of the four primary oil fields, we concluded that the outdoor absorbed dose rate never exceeded the worldwide population weighted average absorbed dose rate in outdoor air from terrestrial gamma radiation.

Analytical evaluation of natural radionuclides and their radioactive equilibrium in raw materials and by-products

An investigation into the distribution of natural radionuclides and radioactive secular equilibrium in raw materials and by-products in a domestic distribution was conducted to deduce the optimum conditions for the analytical evaluation of natural radionuclides for (238)U, (226)Ra, and (232)Th using a gamma-ray spectrometer and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). The range of the specific activities of natural radionuclides was first evaluated by analyzing (228)Ac and (214)Bi, which are (232)Th and (226)Ra indicators, respectively, in about 100 samples of raw materials and by-products through a gamma-ray spectrometer. From further experiments using several samples selected based on the results of the distribution of natural radionuclides, the validation of their analytical evaluations for the indirect measurements using a gamma-ray spectrometer and direct measurements using ICP-MS was assured by comparing their results. Chemically processed products from the raw materials, such as Zr sand and ceramic balls, were generally shown for the type of bead and particularly analyzed showing a definite disequilibrium with above a 50% difference between (238)U and (226)Ra in the uranium series and (232)Th and (228)Ra in the thorium series.

Determination of 40K, 232Th and 238U activity concentrations in ambient PM2.5 aerosols and the associated inhalation effective dose to the public in Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia

Natural radioactivity of soil samples has been studied in many countries of the Arabian Peninsula, including Saudi Arabia. Radiological indices based on soil radioactivity have been widely used in these studies. However, there are no available data about natural radioactivity of fine aerosol particles in such countries. The objective of this study is to determine the activity concentrations of (40)K, (232)Th and (238)U in airborne PM2.5 and the associated internal inhalation radiation dose to the public in Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia. Twenty-four air samples in four locations throughout Jeddah were collected and analyzed for PM2.5 and the associated K, Th and U. The activity concentrations of the isotopes (40)K, (232)Th and (238)U were calculated. High atmospheric PM2.5 concentrations (mean: 50.81 ± 34.02 μg/m(3)) were found. The natural radioactivity associated with PM2.5 due to the isotopes (40)K, (232)Th and (238)U were 301.8 ± 76.1, 11.8 ± 4.2 and 10.8 ± 3.4 Bq/kg, respectively, and the Raeq was calculated as 44.9 ± 14.0 Bq/kg. The inhalation annual effective radiation dose to the public due to natural isotopes of the airborne PM2.5 was in the range 15.03-58.87 nSv/year, depending on the age group. Although these dose values were associated with the PM2.5 fraction only, they were higher than the world references values in air reported in the UNSCEAR, 2000 report.

Determination of the risk associated with the natural and anthropogenic radionuclides from the soil of Skardu in Central Karakoram

The radioactivity levels were determined in 39 soil samples from six towns of Skardu using gamma-ray spectrometry. The samples were collected at an average altitude of 2293 m above sea level in Central Karakoram. The activity concentration data were analysed by principal component analysis for outlier detection and data structure elucidation and for frequency distributions. The median activity concentrations of (226)Ra, (232)Th, (40)K and (137)Cs were found to be 49.8 ± 12.6, 80.9 ± 18.7, 977 ± 91 and 4.37 ± 4.08 Bq kg(-1), respectively. An uncertainty analysis showed that the main contribution to uncertainty budget was from the counting statistics and uncertainty in the reference activity of standard. The activity concentration data showed a positive significant correlation between (226)Ra and (232)Th. Three hazard indices named the radium equivalent activity, external hazard index and internal hazard index were calculated. In the total activity concentration, (40)K accounted for the most (87.5 %), whilst in the radium equivalent activity, (232)Th contributed the most (48.5 %). In the Skardu samples, the air-absorbed dose rate was found to be 112 ± 17 nGy h(-1), annual effective dose rate from terrestrial to be 243 ± 38 μSv y(-1), effective dose rate due to the deposition of (137)Cs on soil to be 1.1 ± 2.4 μSv y(-1) and dose rate from the cosmic radiations to be 1371 ± 107 μSv y(-1). The ratio of mass fractions of Th/U was 4.8 ± 0.6.The results were compared with the similar measurements made in other parts of the world. A comparison with the other cities of Pakistan revealed that the soil in Skardu presented the highest external exposure rate.