Assessment of Natural Radioactivity and Associated Radiation Hazards in Soils samples from Khammuane Provine, Laos

Abstract

Abstract: In order to assessment of Natural Radioactivity and Associated Radiation Hazards in soil samples, activity concentration of naturally occurring radionuclides was measured by using a gamma spectrometer with a high energy resolution HPGe detector. The average radioactivity concentrations of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K in the surface layers (5‑30 cm depth) collected from Khammuan province, Laos, were 32.57± 3.35 Bq.kg^-1,41.10±3.04 Bq.kg^-1 and 295.07± 17.36 Bq.kg^-1respectively. From the activity concentration of ²²⁶Ra,²³²Th and ⁴⁰K, we derived the parameters using the assessment of the radiological hazard from exposure to these soil samples. The average absorbed dose rate of all measured samples is 52.02±4.09nGy.h^-1, while the average annual effective dose in the outdoor due to gamma radioactivity is found to be (0.060±0.005) mSv.y^-1.The average values for radium equivalent activity, external and internal hazard indices were found to be (114.07± 4.70) Bq.kg^-1, (0.31± 0.02) and (0.39± 0.03) respectively.

Keywords: Natural radionuclides, Radium Equivalent Activity, Absorbed gamma dose rate, Annual effective dose rate, Khammuan province.

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