Radiological hazards assessment of laterite mining field in Ilorin, North-central Nigeria
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Background: Assessment of activity concentrations of 238U, 232Th, 40K and
gamma dose rate (DR) was carried out over a laterite mining field in Ilorinsouth,
Nigeria. Materials and Methods: A well calibrated Super-Spec (RS-125)
gamma spectrometer was used to measure the activity concentrations of 40K,
238U, 232Th and gamma doses rate at 1 m above the ground level over the
laterite mining field. Fifty (50) measurements of the activity concentration of
the radionuclides were obtained at about 1 meter above the topsoil. For each
point, measurements were taken four (4) times for better accuracy. Results:
The overall mean of the activity concentrations of 40K, 238U and 232Th are
81.38, 43.89 and 38.79 Bqkg-1 respectively. The mean value for DR was found
to be 46.44 nGyhr-1. The mean activity concentrations of 238U and 232Th are
higher than the recommended limits provided by UNSCEAR. This is a cause for
worry as significant enhancement in the concentration of 238U and 232Th will
increase the level of the background radiation and possibly render the soil
unfit for use in building and construction. The results of most of the
radiological impact parameters (RIP) are above the limits provided by
UNSCEAR. Conclusion: From the results, it implies that the risk of indoor
gamma radiation exposure is high for this lateritic soil. So the lateritic soil
from this mine field may not be too suitable for building and construction
purposes.
Keywords
QC Physics