Activity concentration of NORM and 137Cs radionuclide in soil samples from the Andes Cordillera at latitude 33°56’ South
Abstract
Activity concentrations of naturally occurring radioactive material (238U, 232Th, 40K) and 137Cs were determined in surface soil samples collected from four sites at latitude 33°56’ South and at an average altitude of 1650 masl in the Andes Cordillera, Chile. The handling of samples and the gamma spectroscopic analyses followed the recommended international protocols for this type of work. The presence of 137Cs due to fallout remains from atomic blasts produced in the Pacific atolls in the seventies was detected only in three sites analyzed in the current study. The activity concentration of this anthropogenic radionuclide showed significant uctuations ranging from below minimum detection activity to 21.32 Bq/kg. The ranges of activity concentrations of 238U, 232Th, 40K were found to be around 15-30, 22-30 and 411-611 Bq/kg respectively. The weighted mean activities concentrations of NORM radionuclides are within those reported from literature and were then used to calculate the radiological hazard indices. Values of external absorbed dose rate (D), the annual outdoor effective dose (AEDE), the radium equivalent activity (Raeq ), and the external radiation hazard (Hex ) index are within the accepted international ranges. These results point out that the radiation hazard due to NORM radionuclides found in soil samples from the sites studied in this work is not significant.
- Publication:
-
Journal of Physics Conference Series
- Pub Date:
- June 2018
- DOI:
- 10.1088/1742-6596/1043/1/012028
- Bibcode:
- 2018JPhCS1043a2028C