Odelami Kafayat Abdulrasheed, Oladipo Mark Omotola Afolayan, Onoja Michael Akor, Musa Yahaya, Aremu Saudat Olabisi
Department of Physics, Kaduna State University, Tafawa Balewa way, 802125 Kaduna, Nigeria.
Department of Physics, Ahmadu Bello University, Samaru Campus, Zaria 810211, Kaduna, Nigeria.
Radiat Prot Dosimetry. 2024 Dec 6;200(20):1961-1970. doi: 10.1093/rpd/ncae207.
This work assessed the activity concentrations of 238U(226Ra), 232Th, and 40K and their associated radiological risks due to exposure to soil and consumption of food crops in Babban Tsauni artisanal gold mine, Gwagwalada, Nigeria, using the gamma spectrometry technique. The mean activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K in the mine soil were 60.2 ± 9.9, 161.4 ± 16.2, and 664.6 ± 138.2, while they were 46.4 ± 4.9, 79.9 ± 39.3, 266.4 ± 185.4 for tubers and 46.9 ± 15.7, 100.5 ± 35.8, 311.4 ± 132.7 (Bq/kg) for grains, respectively. The results reveal that the activity concentrations of radionuclides in all samples exceeded the recommended values set by United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (33, 45, and 420 Bq/kg) except 40K, which fell within the acceptable limit in all food crop sample types. Estimated results for radiological hazard parameters, radium equivalent, annual effective dose due to ingestion, and excess life cancer risk were within safe limits, while the annual effective dose due to external gamma radiation in soil and annual gonadal equivalent dose were significantly high in all investigated samples; these call for constant radiological monitoring.
本研究采用伽马能谱技术，评估了尼日利亚瓜瓜瓦拉达巴巴恩察乌尼手工金矿土壤和粮食作物中238U（226Ra）、232Th和40K的活度浓度及其相关辐射风险。矿土中226Ra、232Th和40K的平均活度浓度分别为60.2±9.9、161.4±16.2和664.6±138.2，而块茎类作物中分别为46.4±4.9、79.9±39.3、266.4±185.4（Bq/kg），谷物中分别为46.9±15.7、100.5±35.8、311.4±132.7（Bq/kg）。结果表明，除40K在所有粮食作物样本类型中均在可接受限值范围内外，所有样本中放射性核素的活度浓度均超过了联合国原子辐射影响科学委员会设定的推荐值（33、45和420 Bq/kg）。放射性危害参数、镭当量、摄入所致年有效剂量和超额终生癌症风险的估计结果均在安全限值内，而土壤中外照射伽马辐射所致年有效剂量和年性腺当量剂量在所有调查样本中均显著偏高；这些都需要持续进行放射性监测。
