Mohd Zubair

Natural radioactivity and radiological hazard assessment of soil using gamma-ray spectrometry

Natural radioactivity in soil samples collected from different places of Bulandshahr, Hapur and Meerut city of Uttar Pradesh, India, using a low-level counting multichannel gamma-ray spectrometer system comprising an NaI(Tl) crystal. The range of (238)U, (232)Th and (40)K activity concentrations varied from 29.6 to 69.2, from 34.9 to 93.8 and from 438.2 to 719.9 , respectively. The activity concentrations of (232)Th are higher than those of (238)U in all the samples. The absorbed dose rate ranges from 53.18 to 110.95 . The values of the annual effective dose indoors are found to vary from 0.26 to 0.54 , whereas outdoors are found to vary from 0.07 to 0.14 . The annual effective dose is marginally below the international recommended value of 1 for the general public. The external and internal hazard indexes of the soil samples are below the recommended limits. The values of the gamma index in soil samples varied from 0.41 to 0.88. The values of the alpha index varied from 0.15 to 0.35. All these values of and are <1.0. It is observed from the results that there is no significant radiation hazard due to natural radionuclides of the soil samples in the studied areas.

Radium Studies in Sand Samples Collected from Sea Coast of Tirur, Kerala, India Using LR-115 Plastic Track Detectors

Radium is naturally occurring solid radioactive element in the earths surface and it is chemically similar to calcium and is absorbed from soil by plants and passed up the food chain to humans. High intake or body exposure to radium causes serious health hazards and may result in bone cancer. Track etch technique has been used with LR-115 type II plastic track detector to measure the effective radium content of sand samples collected from the sea coast (Unniyal beach) of Tirur of Malappuram district of Kerala state (India). The value of effective radium content ranges from 45.6 to 226.1 Bq/Kg with an average of 111.9 Bq/Kg. The content of radium observed in the samples of this region is insignificant regarding health related concern.

Measurement of natural radioactivity in rock samples using gamma ray spectrometry

Natural radioactivity due to 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in the rock samples collected from Dhanbad city of Jharkhand, India was measured using gamma-ray spectrometry. The concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in the studied rock samples range from below the detection limit to 3.08 Bq/kg, 5.35-37.39 Bq/kg and 168.8-416.9 Bq/kg, respectively. The concentrations of these radionuclides are compared with the recommended values. To evaluate the radiological impact of the natural radioactivity, the radium equivalent activity, the annual effective dose rate, the values of both external and internal indices and the gamma index were estimated and compared with the internationally acceptable values.