IJRR- International Journal of Radiation Research

The radioactivity levels in soil samples of Bolu province of north-western Turkey have been determined. There has been no information about radioactivity measurement reported in soil samples in Bolu province so far. For this reason, the activity concentrations of natural and artificial radionuclides (²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, ⁴⁰K, and ¹³⁷Cs) were measured in soil samples collected from 40 different points in Bolu province of north-western Turkey using gamma spectrometry technique with a high-purity germanium detector. The average activity concentrations (range) of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, ⁴⁰K, and ¹³⁷Cs were found to be 18.2 (3.8–49.9) Bq/kg, 17.3 (4.1–37.9) Bq/kg, 258.3 (64.6–518.9) Bq/kg, and 7.5 (0.6–43.6) Bq/kg, respectively. At the end of the analysis, the radioactivity values were lower than the world average values reported by United Nations Scientific Committee on Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR). In order to evaluate the radiological hazards resulting from natural radioactivity, radium equivalent activity (Ra_eq), gamma index (I_γ), external hazard index (H_ex), absorbed dose rate in air (D), annual gonadal dose rate (AGDE), the annual effective dose rate (AEDE), and excess life time cancer risk (ELCR) were calculated and found in the range of 14.8–129.8 Bq/kg, 0.1–0.5, 0.0–0.4, 7.0–60.2 nGy/h, 49.8–417.5 µSv/y, 8.6–73.8 µSv/y, and 0.3 × 10⁻⁴ to 2.6 × 10⁻⁴, respectively. These results were compared with recommended values (370 Bq/kg for Ra_eq, <1 for I_γ, <1 for H_ex, 55 nGy/h for D, 300 µSv/y for AGDE, 70 µSv/y for AEDE, and 2.9 × 10⁻⁴ for ELCR) by European Commission (EC), UNSCEAR and International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). As a result, health hazards originated by natural radiation from soil samples of the Bolu province is low and insignificant.

This study was carried out to determine the presence of the main radionuclides from natural and artificial radioactivity in the soil of Kosovo, using gamma-ray spectroscopy. The mean activity concentration for Ra-226, Th-232, K-40, and Cs-137 was 22.32 ± 1.41, 22.14 ± 1.31, 358.16 ± 8.85, and 12.94 ± 0.44 Bq/kg, respectively. Radium equivalent activity ranged from 47 to 100 Bq/kg. The mean of calculated values for the gamma index (I_γ), external hazard index (H_ex), absorbed dose rate (ADR), annual gonadal dose rate (AGDE), annual effective dose rate (AEDE), and excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) were 0.61, 0.22, 40 nGy/h, 275 µSv/year, 49 µSv/year, and 170, respectively. In conclusion, the radiological parameters arising from the soil samples of Kosovo belong to the normal range of radionuclides, compared to those compiled by UNSCEAR from worldwide reports; therefore, health hazards are insignificant.