title: Determination of natural and artificial radioactivity in soil at North Lebanon province.
abstract: The concentrations of natural and artificial radionuclides at 57 sampling locations along the North Province of Lebanon are reported. The samples were collected from uncultivated areas in a region not previously reported. The samples were analyzed by gamma spectrometers with High Purity Germanium detectors of 30% and 40% relative efficiency. The activity concentrations of primordial naturally occurring radionuclides of (238)U, (232)Th, and (40)K varied between 4-73 Bq kg(-1), 5-50 Bq kg(-1), and 57-554 Bq kg(-1) respectively. The surface activity concentrations due to the presence of these radionuclides were calculated and Kriging-geostatistical method was used to plot the obtained data on the Lebanese radioactive map. The results for (238)U, (232)Th, and (40)K ranged from 0.2 kBq m(-2) to 9 kBq m(-2), from 0.2 kBq m(-2) to 3 kBq m(-2), and from 3 kBq m(-2) to 29 kBq m(-2) respectively. For the anthropogenic radionuclides, the activity concentrations of (137)Cs founded in soil ranged from 2 Bq kg(-1) to 113 Bq kg(-1), and the surface activity concentration from 0.1 kBq m(-2) to 5 kBq m(-2). The total absorbed gamma dose rates in air from natural and artificial radionuclides in these locations were calculated. The minimum value was 6 nGy h(-1) and the highest one was 135 nGy h(-1) with an average of 55 nGy h(-1) in which the natural terrestrial radiation contributes in 99% and the artificial radionuclides mainly (137)Cs contributes only in 1%. The total effective dose calculated varied in the range of 7 μSv y(-1) and 166 μSv y(-1) while the average value was 69 μSv y(-1) which is below the permissible limit 1000 μSv y(-1).
authors.affiliation: Lebanese Atomic Energy Commission, Environmental Radiation Control, National Council for Scientific Research, Airport Road, P.O. Box 11-8281, Beirut 1107 2260, Lebanon. Electronic address: osamad@cnrs.edu.lb.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: El Samad
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Baydoun
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Nsouli
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Darwish
mesh_terms: D047852:Chernobyl Nuclear Accident; D007861:Lebanon; D054043:Nuclear Weapons; D011834:Radiation Monitoring; D011868:Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D011868:Radioisotopes; D012990:Soil Pollutants, Radioactive
keywords: Absorbed gamma dose rate; Artificial radionuclides; Gamma spectrometers; Naturally occurring radionuclide; Radioactive carte