Distribution of natural radionuclide along Main Central Thrust in Garhwal Himalaya

Investigation of radioactivity and heavy metal levels in soil samples from neutral and vegetation land of Punjab, India

In this work, radioactivity investigations of soil samples from neutral and agricultural sites in Punjab (India) have been carried out to study the impact of land use patterns. Analyzing soil samples radiological, mineralogical, and physicochemical attributes has employed state-of-the-art techniques. The mean activity concentration of 238U/226Ra, 232Th, 40K, 235U, and 137Cs, measured using a carbon fiber endcap p-type HPGe detector, in neutral land was observed as 58.03, 83.95, 445.18, 2.83, and 1.16 Bq kg-1, respectively. However, in vegetation land, it was found to be 40.07, 64.68, 596.74, 2.26, and 1.90 Bq kg-1, respectively. In the detailed activity analysis, radium equivalent (Raeq) radioactivity is in the safe prescribed limit of 370 Bq kg-1 for all investigated soil samples. However, the dosimetric investigations revealed that the outdoor absorbed gamma dose rate (96.08 nGy h-1) and consequent annual effective dose rate (0.12 mSv y-1) for neutral land and the gamma dose rate (82.46 nGy h-1) and subsequent annual effective dose rate (0.10 mSv y-1) for vegetation land marginally exceeded the global average. The soil's physicochemical parameters (pH, EC, and porosity) from both sites were measured, and their correlations with radionuclides were analyzed. Various heavy metals of health concern, namely, chromium (Cr), arsenic (As), copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), selenium (Se), and zinc (Zn), were also evaluated in soil samples using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectroscopy (ICP-MS). Pollution Load Index (PLI) and Ecological Risk Index (RI) revealed that vegetation land was more anthropogenically contaminated than neutral land, with maximum contamination from Hg and As.

Geological control of terrestrial background radiation in Garhwal Himalaya, India

Activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K were measured in soil samples from several areas of Garhwal Himalaya, Northern India, by gamma-ray spectrometry. In this region, which extends around the Himalayan Main Central Thrust, a tectonic line that separates several geological provinces, background levels of natural terrestrial radiation were assessed. The maximum levels of radium, 285 Bq/kg and 136 Bq/kg, respectively, were found in the Budhakedar and Uttarkashi regions, exceeding the world average value of 35 Bq/kg. The mean radiation levels were found to be different between the areas, which reflects the geological diversity in the region. The overall absorbed dose rate owing to radionuclide presence in the Uttarkashi area ranged from 79 to 188 nGyh-1, with an average of 118 nGyh-1. That is more than UNSCEAR's world-populated weighted average value of 59 nGyh-1. The present investigation indicated that the absorbed dose rates are greater in Uttarkashi and Budhakedar than in other places. The multiple comparison analysis between geology and absorbed dose rate shows that the geology of Uttarkashi and Budhakedar are statistically similar. According to several hazard indices, terrestrial background radiation is not of radiological concern in the investigated region.

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF RADIUM CONTENT AND RADON EXHALATION RATE FROM SOIL SAMPLES USING ACTIVE AND PASSIVE TECHNIQUES

Soil is the most important factor affecting the radon level in the human living environments. It depends not only on uranium and thorium contents but also on the physical and chemical properties of the soil. In this paper, the measurements of radium content and mass exhalation rate of radon from the soil samples collected from Uttarkashi area of Garhwal Himalaya are presented. The correlation between radium content and radon mass exhalation rate from soil has also been obtained. The radium was measured by gamma ray spectrometry, while the mass exhalation rate of radon has been determined by both active and passive methods. The radium activity in the soil of study area was found to vary from 45±7 to 285±29 Bq kg^-1 with an average of 99 Bq kg^-1 The radon mass exhalation rate was found to vary from 0.59 × 10^-5 to 2.2 × 10^-5 Bq kg^-1 h^-1 with an average of 1.4 × 10^-5 Bq kg^-1 h^-1 by passive technique and from 0.8 × 10^-5 to 3.2 × 10^-5 Bq kg^-1 h^-1 with an average of 1.5 × 10^-5 Bq kg^-1 h^-1 by active technique. The results suggest that the measured radium value is positively correlated with the radon mass exhalation rate measured with both the active and passive techniques.

STUDY OF RADON FLUX FROM SOIL IN BUDHAKEDAR REGION USING SRM

In the present study, the radon flux rate of the soil is measured using portable radon monitor (scintillation radon monitor) in the Budhakedar region of District Tehri, India. The study area falls along a fault zone named Main Central Thrust, which is relatively rich in radium-bearing minerals. Radon flux rate from the soil is one of the most important factors for the evaluation of environmental radon levels. The earlier studies in the Budhakedar region shows a high level of radon (>4000 Bq m^-3). Hence, it is important to measure the radon flux rate. The aim of the present study is to calculate the average estimate of the surface radon flux rate as well as the effective mass exhalation rate. A positive correlation of 0.54 was found between radon flux rate and radon mass exhalation rate.