Natural radioactivity, radon emanating power and mass exhalation rate of environmental soil samples from Karabük province, Turkey

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>In this study, content of natural radionuclides (<jats:sup>226</jats:sup>Ra<jats:sup>, 232</jats:sup>Th and <jats:sup>40</jats:sup>K) and radon emanating power and radon mass exhalation rate of surface soil samples collected around industrial province Karabük in which the first iron steel plant was built in 1937 were determined by high-resolution γ-ray spectrometry with a high purity germanium detector. The average activity concentration of <jats:sup>226</jats:sup>Ra, <jats:sup>232</jats:sup>Th and <jats:sup>40</jats:sup>K in soil samples were measured as 30 ± 2, 28 ± 2 and 251 ± 20 Bq kg<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup>, respectively. The average value of radon emanating power and mass exhalation rate of soil samples were found as 31 % and 19 μBq kg<jats:sup>−l</jats:sup> s<jats:sup>−l</jats:sup>, respectively. Assessment of possible radiation hazards to the people due to external exposure was done by estimating the outdoor absorbed gamma dose rate in the air at 1 m above the soil, the corresponding annual effective dose, and the excess lifetime cancer risk. The average outdoor gamma dose rate, annual effective dose, and lifetime cancer risk were estimated as 41 nGy h<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup>, 51 μSv y<jats:sup>−1</jats:sup> and 2.0 × 10<jats:sup>−4</jats:sup>, respectively. A comparison of the activity and radiological results obtained for the studied samples with the corresponding worldwide average values indicates that the results are below the world average values.</jats:p>

Investigation of Radiological and Chemical Contents of Bauxite Ore Extracted in Turkey

“…Full-energy peak (FEP) efficiency calibration of the γ-ray spectrometer was performed using reference materials RGU-1 (U-ore), RGTh-1 (Th-ore), and RGK-1 (K2 SO4) supplied by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Each of these reference materials was placed in an identical polyethylene bottle of 118 cm 3 volume and counted for 10,000 s to obtain a good counting statistic, which means that uncertainties in the counting rates of interested γ-ray peaks were less than 3% at the 95% confidence level . This HPGe detector has 30% relative efficiency.…”

“…Each of these reference materials was placed in an identical polyethylene bottle of 118 cm 3 volume and counted for 10,000 s to obtain a good counting statistic, which means that uncertainties in the counting rates of interested γ-ray peaks were less than 3% at the 95% confidence level. 24 This HPGe detector has 30% relative efficiency. The energy resolution is 0.85% at 122 keV and 1.85% at 1.33 MeV.…”

A Preliminary Study to Determine the Radon Exhalation Rates of Soil Samples at Different Depths

“…Soil radon exhalation rate data is limited in Turkey: it is only performed for several locations by several authors by using track detectors (CR-39 and LR-115 type II Solid State Nuclear Track Detectors-SSNTD) and by gamma spectroscopy methods as given in the Table 1 [5,[16][17][18]. Tablo 1.…”

Evaluation of natural radioactivity levels and potential radiological hazards of common building materials utilized in Mediterranean region, Turkey

“…Each reference container placed on the top of the detector was counted for 5,000-10,000 seconds. The efficiency values obtained using the above formula for gamma-ray photopeaks in the range of 0.2 to 2.6 MeV were fit to the following function (Kurnaz et al 2020):…”

“…The activity concentration of 40 K was measured directly by its gamma-ray line at 1460.8 keV (Kurnaz et al 2020). The minimum detectable activity (MDA) based on Currie's derivation, at the 95% confidence, is determined as follows:…”