Radiation hazard assessment of natural radionuclides in the soil samples from the quarry area of Shira, Bauchi State, Nigeria.

Abstract

The mining activities significantly enhance the naturally occurring radionuclides (NORMs) above the background level, which is harmful to human health and the ecosystem. The specific activities of ²³⁸U, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K of the soil samples collected in the quarry area were analyzed by gamma spectrometer. The concentrations of the radionuclides varies from  to with a mean value of  for ²²⁶R,  to of with a mean value of  for ²³²Th and  to  with a mean value of ,  which is below the recommended worldwide limit of  35, 30 and 400 , respectively. The potential health risks associated with radionuclides were determined. The result for Radium equivalent activity (Ra_eq) is 184.8 , external hazard index (H_ex) is 0.5, annual effective dose (E_aed) is 0.3 mSv y^-1 and excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) is  , respectively. According to (UNSCEAR, 2000), the computed radiation hazard indices are below the allowable limits. Therefore, there is no serious risk to the population from radiation exposure due to the quarry work in the study area.