Assessment of activity concentrations of radioactive elements in selected groundwater samples of Kwara State Polytechnic and its environs, North Central Nigeria

Abstract

A NaI (TI) indicator was used to quantify the activity concentrations level of Uranium (U-238), Thorium (Th-232) & Potassium (K-40) in forty (40) groundwater samples collected across the premises of Kwara state polytechnic and its environs in order to determine the health hazard due intake of drinking water which has its origin from the subsurface. This investigation became necessary as a result of an outbreak of water borne diseases reported by the medical personnels in the clinics around the area. The results obtained from this measurement shows a range of values from 1.01 ± 0.02 to 8.21 ± 1.73, a mean of 3.88 ± 0.609 Bq.l−1 for U-238, 0.97 ± 0.01 to 14.81 ± 2.79, a mean value of 7.02 ± 0.99 Bq.l−1 Th-232 & 4.44 ± 0.12 to 147.33 ± 6.59 Bq.l−1, a mean of 48.08 ± 2.513 Bq.l−1 for K-40. The mean of these Radionuclides (U-238, Th-232 and K-40) are higher than the Universal value 10 Bq.l−1 for K-40 and 1 Bq.l−1 for U-238 and Th-232 as the permissible level for drinking water (United Nations Scientific Committee on Effects of Atomic radiation recommended (UNSCEAR)). In addition, most of the average values of the calculated radiological indices are within the recommended allowable tolerable boundary, although higher values were obtained in some within the study area. These results shows that U-238, Th-232 and K-40 concentrations and radiological parameters in the samples are high and low in values but might take a Probabilistic effect on the residents in the near future