Study of Environmental Radiation on Sand and Soil Samples from Kuakata Sea Beach of Patuakhali

Khondaker Mohammed Nazrul Islam, Debasish Paul, Md. Mahbubur Rahman Bhuiyan, Amina Akter, Budrun Neher, Sheikh Mohammad Azharul Islam

Department of Physics, Comilla University, Comilla, Bangladesh.
Department of Physics, Jahangirnagar University, Savar, Bangladesh.
Health Physics & Radioactive Waste Management Unit (HP & RWMU), Institute of Nuclear Science & Technology (INST), Atomic Energy Research Establishment (AERE), Savar, Bangladesh.

DOI: 10.4236/jep.2012.39126                

Abstract

The activity concentrations of radionuclides in the sand and soil samples collected from Kuakata seabeach of Patuakhali district in Bangladesh have measured using a high resolution high purity germanium (HPGe) detector of relative efficiency 40%. The activity concentrations of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K were found in the sand samples of Kuakata seabeach varied from 2.82 ± 4.89 to 87.96 ± 4.45 Bq.Kg^–1, 21.72 ± 16.27 to 290.93 ± 18.15 Bq.Kg^–1 and 26.24 ± 0.35 to 852.05 ± 142.15 Bq.Kg^–1 respectively. For soil samples the activity concentrations of corresponding radionuclides were found to be 20.98 ± 3.96 to 42.92 ± 4.76 Bq.Kg^–1, 59.25 ± 15.62 to 144.34 ± 18.52 Bq.Kg^–1 and 570.43 ± 100.3 to 1165 ± 166.27 Bq.Kg^–1 respectively. The average absorbed dose rate due to radionuclides in sand was estimated to range from 51.84 to 246.55 nGy.h–1 with an average of 98.33 nGy.h^–1. Also the average absorbed dose rate due to radionuclides in soil was estimated to range from 76.63 nGy.h^–1 to 142.36 nGy.h^–1 with an average of 110.04 nGy.h^–1. Radium equivalent activities were calculated for the analyzed samples to assess the radiation hazards arising due to the presence of this radionuclide in the samples. Most of the calculated radium equivalent activities are lower than the limit set in the OECD report (370 Bq.kg^–1). The measured representative level index values for the investigated samples varied in the range 0.8 to 3.75.

Keywords

Radionuclide; Activity Concentration; HPGe detector; Kuakata Seabeach; ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K and ¹³⁷Cs

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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