title: Measurement of natural radioactivity and assessment of associated radiation hazards in soil around Baoji second coal-fired thermal power plant, China.
abstract: Activity concentrations of natural radionuclides (226)Ra, (232)Th and (40)K in soil around Baoji Second coal-fired thermal power plant of China were determined using gamma ray spectrometry. The mean activity concentrations of (226)Ra, (232)Th and (40)K in soil were found to be 40.3 ± 3.5, 59.6 ± 3.1 and 751.2 ± 12.4 Bq kg(-1), respectively, which are all higher than the corresponding average values in Shaanxi, Chinese and world soil. The radium equivalent activity (Ra(eq)), the air absorbed dose rate (D), the annual effective dose (E), the external hazard index (H(ex)) and internal hazard index (H(in)) were evaluated and compared with the internationally reported or reference values. All the soil samples have Ra(eq) lower than the limit of 370 Bq kg(-1) and H(ex) and H(in) less than unity. The overall mean outdoor terrestrial gamma air absorbed dose rate is ∼86.6 ± 3.4 nGy h(-1) and the corresponding outdoor annual effective dose is 0.106 ± 0.004 mSv, which is higher than the worldwide average (0.07 mSv y(-1)) for outdoor's annual effective dose.
authors.affiliation: School of Tourism and Environment, Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an 710062, People's of Republic of China. luxinwei@snnu.edu.cn
authors.forename: Xinwei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Xiaoxue
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Pujun
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yun
authors.forename: Dacheng
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: Lijun
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Chunhui
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Cancan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D001417:Background Radiation; D002681:China; D005720:Gamma Rays; D011197:Potassium Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D011210:Power Plants; D011834:Radiation Monitoring; D011883:Radium / Q000032:analysis*; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*; D013910:Thorium / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D011197:Potassium Radioisotopes; D012987:Soil; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive; D013910:Thorium; D011883:Radium