Natural Radioactivity Levels and Estimation of Radiation Exposure in Environmental Soil Samples from Tulkarem Province-Palestine

Abstract

The activity concentrations of the natural radionuclides namely 238 U, 232 Th, 40 K and 137 Cs are measured for soil samples collected from different locations of Tulkarem district in West Back-Palestine. High-resolution gamma spectrometry (HPGe detector) was used to determine the activity concentration of these radionuclides in 72 surface soil samples taken from areas in and surrounding Tulkarem city. The concentration of 238 U varied in the range 9.7 -83. . The results have been compared with those of different countries of the world and Palestine. To assess the radiological hazard of the natural radioactivity, the absorbed dose rate (D r ), the radium equivalent activity (Ra eq ), the effective dose rate (E eff ), the annual effective dose equivalent (AEDE), Excess Lifetime Cancer Risk (ELCR), the radioactivity level index (I γ ), and the external (H ex ) and internal (H in ) hazard indices were calculated. It can be concluded that no risk may threat the residents around and center of Tulkarem city except some areas which activity due to fallout 137 Cs were high concentration levels. Hence the probability of occurrence of any of the health effects of radiation is low. Hence, measurements have been taken as representing baseline values of these radionuclides in the soil in studying area.

Measurement of activity concentration levels of radionuclides in soil samples collected from Bethlehem Province, West Bank, Palestine

“…Th. This is an indication that 40 K is a more abundant radioactive element than the other elements in the soils under consideration [12].…”

“…In most soil samples, the calculated values of I γ were found to be lower than 1, corresponding to an annual effective dose of generally less than 0.3 mSv year −1 [12].…”

“…• C to ensure material homogeneity [12,13]. The prepared samples were then sealed in 1000-mL dry-weighed Marinelli beakers and stored for a period of 30 days to assure radioactive secular equilibrium between 226 Ra and 232 Th with their daughters [14].…”

“…[12][13][14][15]. The net count rates under the most prominent photopeaks of radionuclides' daughter peaks were calculated by subtracting the respective count rate from the background spectrum obtained for the same counting time.…”

“…In Palestine, a few investigations have been performed in the southern part of the West Bank [10][11][12]. As far as we know, an investigation of radionuclide activity levels and radionuclide distributions in the soil of Bethlehem Province has not been performed yet.…”