title: Distribution of radionuclides in surface soils, Singhbhum Shear Zone, India and associated dose.
abstract: Gamma emitters were estimated in surface soils from a mineralized zone in Eastern India using high purity Germanium detector-based high resolution gamma spectrometry system. Activities of (238)U, (226)Ra, (232)Th, (235)U, (227)Th, (234 m)Pa, (210)Pb, (40)K, and (137)Cs were 79 ± 50, 81 ± 53, 65 ± 23, 4 ± 2, 5 ± 4, 92 ± 50, 97 ± 45, 517 ± 201, and 4 ± 2 Bq/kg, respectively. Most radionuclides were observed to follow log-normal distribution. The correlation between physicochemical properties of the samples, like pH, organic matter content, particle size, and moisture content were also studied. Activity ratios of (226)Ra/(238)U, (210)Pb/(226)Ra, and (227)Th/(235)U indicated deviation from secular equilibrium in some samples. The associated annual effective dose ranged from 0.07 to 0.24 mSv and the mean was calculated to be 0.12 ± 0.04 mSv for this region, indicating it to be one of normal natural background radiation.
authors: Environmental Assessment Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai, 400 085 Trombay, India. aditichem@gmail.com
authors: A C
authors: AC
authors: Patra
authors: S K
authors: SK
authors: Sahoo
authors: R M
authors: RM
authors: Tripathi
authors: V D
authors: VD
authors: Puranik
mesh_terms: D001417:Background Radiation; D007194:India; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011834:Radiation Monitoring; D011868:Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry*; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D011868:Radioisotopes; D012987:Soil; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive