Distribution of doses received by Cuban population due to environmental sources of radioactivity

Abstract

Doses received by Cuban population due to exposure to the environmental sources of radiation were studied for their evaluation. Estimations of doses from the different components of the total dose were obtained and published. From the results obtained estimations of total doses to Cuban population from environmental radiation sources and the contributions of different dose components were made. A Monte Carlo simulation of the sum of doses was carried out and the distribution of obtained values was assumed as a lognormal distribution. Parameters for characterisation of this lognormal distribution were estimated, and on the basis of the estimations the average total effective dose to the Cuban population owing to exposure to the environmental sources was estimated as 1.1 +/- 0.3 mSv y(-1). This low dose value is in the range of doses estimated by UNSCEAR for world population due to natural background and can be explained by the specifics of the Cuban environment.

On the Development of Nuclear Physics in Cuba

“…101,102,103,104,105,106 Methods of quantification 107,108 were also developed in different tests in the fields of nuclear medicine, radiological studies, and the modeling and simulation of experimental facilities. 109,110,111,112,113,114,115 In addition, the level of heavy metal pollution in marine sediments and in urban soils of important cities in the country 116,117,118 have also been studied.…”

Terrestrial gamma radiation dose rate in Cienfuegos, Cuba

“…In Cuba, information related to environmental terrestrial radiation is very limited. There are only a few relevant studies (Prendes-Alonso M. et al, 1998;Tomás Zerquera et al, 2001, 2007. In Cienfuegos, Alonso-Hernández et al (2006) published the levels of natural radionuclides in marine sediments of Cienfuegos Bay, observing an anomalous distribution.…”