Environmental 238U and 232Th concentration measurements in an area of high level natural background radiation at Palong, Johor, Malaysia.
Concentrations of uranium-238 and thorium-232 in soil, water, grass, moss and oil-palm fruit samples collected from an area of high background radiation were determined using neutron activation analysis (NAA). U-238 concentration in soil ranged from 4.9 mg kg(-1) (58.8 Bq kg(-1)) to 40.4 mg kg(-1) (484.8 Bq kg(-1)), Th-232 concentration ranged from 14.9 mg kg(-1) (59.6 Bq kg(-1)) to 301.0 mg kg(-1) (1204 Bq kg(-1)). The concentration of U-238 in grass samples ranged from below the detection limit to 0.076 mg kg(-1) (912 mBq kg(-1)), and Th-232 ranged from 0.008 mg kg(-1) (32 mBq kg(-1)) to 0.343 mg kg(-1) (1.372 Bq kg(-1)). U-238 content in water samples ranged from 0.33 mg kg(-1) (4.0 Bq L(-1)) to 1.40 mg kg(-1) (16.8 Bq L(-1)), and Th-232 ranged from 0.19 mg kg(-1) (0.76 Bq L(-1)) to 0.66 mg kg(-1) (2.64 Bq L(-1)). It can be said that the concentrations of environmental U-238 and Th-232 in grass and water samples in the study area are insignificant. Mosses were found to be possible bio-radiological indicators due to their high absorption of the heavy radioelements from the environment.
Ramli
A Termizi
AT
Faculty of Science, Department of Physics, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, 81310 Skudai, Johor, Malaysia. termizi@dfiz2.fs.utm.my
Hussein
A Wahab M A
AW
Wood
A Khalik
AK
D044002:Bryophyta / Q000737:chemistry; D004784:Environmental Monitoring; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry; D008296:Malaysia; D006109:Poaceae / Q000737:chemistry; D012016:Reference Values; D012987:Soil; D013910:Thorium / Q000032:analysis*; D014501:Uranium / Q000032:analysis*
D012987:Soil; D014501:Uranium; D013910:Thorium