Radiometric survey of sediments and health risk assessments from the southern coastal area of Delta State, Nigeria.

Over the years, the release of potential radiological components around the oil exploration environment has increased with potential health implications.Yet; the mechanism and health associated assessment have remained fuzzy to most experimental scientists. The current study determines the activity concentration of radionuclides in sediments and the corresponding health risk assessments from the hydrocarbon exploration environment of the southern coastal area of Delta State, Nigeria. A Sodium-iodide NaI(Tl) detector, with a well-calibrated multichannel analyzer (MCA) to ensure efficiency and energy was utilized. A total of seventy-five sediment samples (Five sediment samples each per community) were collected from the southern coastal area of Delta State, Nigeria. The mean activity concentrations of K, U, and Th of the sediment samples were 3361.48 ± 194.26 Bqkg, 40.11 ± 16.17 Bqkg, and 45.73 ± 19.27 Bqkg respectively. The obtained mean values exceeded the world standard limit of 400 Bqkg, 35 Bqkg, and 30 Bqkg respectively. Also, the computed mean radiological health hazard risk of radium equivalent activity (Raeq), representative level index (I), external hazard index (Hex), internal hazard index (Hin), absorbed gamma dose rate (), annual effective dose equivalent outdoor and indoor (AEDE) and lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) values are 363.94 ± 32.37 Bkgl, 2.9657 Bkgl, 0.9839, 1.0919, 175.82 nGyh, 2.1556 mSvyr, 0.8625 mSvyr, and 7.5447 mSvyr respectively. The values were found to be slightly higher than the world standard limit. Therefore, the residents that are using the sediments of the southern coastal area for the construction of buildings as well as dwelling in houses built with such sediments are exposed to these radiological materials. This may pose a radiological health risk concern. The obtained results will serve as radiation and radiological baseline data for sediments of the southern coastal area of Delta State, Nigeria.