Measurement of Radioactivity of ²³⁸U, ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K in Soil of Different Geological Origins in Northern India

Rohit Mehra, Manmohan Singh

.

DOI: 10.4236/jep.2011.27110                

Abstract

Radioactivity of the nuclides ²³⁸U, ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K was measured in soil by γ-ray spectrometry using HPGe detector. A criterion was set in order to analyse soil samples from plain, semi-hilly and hilly areas in northern India. More than three γ-ray energy peaks were used for the determination of ²²⁶Ra and ²³²Th activity concentrations to obtain more accurate results. Some of these peaks have interfering energies, which was caused by the limited resolution of the detector, but they were resolved theoretically and used in the analysis because of their significance in reducing the random error to its minimum level. Relationships between the measured radionuclides have been discussed elaborately. Radionuclides 238U and 226Ra were found in disequilibrium with ratio of specific activities ²³⁸U/, ²²⁶Ra) less than unity for most of the samples. In some cases this disequilibrium may be significant enough to modify the γ-ray dose factors.

Keywords

Soil, Natural Radionuclides, Disequilibrium, Dose

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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