Radioactivity of Surface Soils from Oyo State, South Western Nigeria
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Volume 11, No 4 International Journal of Radiation Research, October 2013 Radioactivity of surface soils from Oyo state, South Western Nigeria O.S. Ajayi* and S.B. Ibikunle Department of Physics, Federal University of Technology, P.M.B. 704, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria ABSTRACT Background: The acvity concentraons of some radionuclides in soil samples collected from 20 locaons in 8 major towns in Oyo State, Southwestern Nigeria have been determined by gamma‐ray spectrometry ► Original article technique. Materials and Methods: The acvity concentraons were determined using high‐purity germanium (HPGe) detector (Canberra Industries Inc.). The outdoor absorbed dose rates in air at about 1.0 m height were esmated from the acvity concentraons and dose rate conversion factors for the radionuclides. The annual outdoor effecve dose equivalent rates were also esmated for urban and rural areas of the state using the * Corresponding author: calculated absorbed dose rates in air. Results: Determined specific acvity Dr. Oladele Samuel Ajayi, concentraons of the radionuclides ranged from 1±0.4 Bq kg‐1 for 137Cs to E‐mail: 1190±30 Bq kg‐1 for 40K. The esmated outdoor absorbed dose rates in air [email protected] varied from 52 nGy h‐1 in Egbeda (a rural area) to 414 nGy h‐1 in Eruwa (also a rural area). The mean annual outdoor effecve dose equivalent for the urban Received: May 2011 areas in the state was 0.1 mSv y‐1 while that of rural areas was 0.3 mSv y‐1 Accepted: Jan. 2012 with a standard deviaon of 0.02 mSv y‐1 and 0.3 mSv y‐1 respecvely. The mean for the study area was 0.2 mSv y‐1. Conclusion: The mean annual Int. J. Radiat. Res., October 2013; outdoor effecve dose values for the urban and rural areas, for the whole 11(4): 271-278 study area are higher than the world average annual outdoor terrestrial radiaon value of 0.07 mSv y‐1 reported by the United Naons Scienfic Commiee on Effects of Atomic Radiaon (UNSCEAR) for individual members of the public. Keywords: Soil, natural radioactivity, radiation hazard, Oyo state, dose rates. INTRODUCTION present in environmental materials such as different types of rock, soil and the building The environment in which man lives contains materials composed of them. Activity a natural background ionizing radiation level concentrations in soil give rise to radionuclide that is made up of contributions from cosmic ray loading in food and fodder crops, which in turn and terrestrial radioactivity (from natural and gives rise to internal exposure of humans (1‐3). man‐made sources). The contributions from The man‐made terrestrial component is due these components vary with local geology, to the deposition of radioactive fallout 137Cs, altitude and geomagnetic latitudes. Activities 237U, 239Np, and others at any location. This like gas and oil exploitation as well as mining of deposition is dependent on latitude, precipita‐ solid minerals augment the natural sources. The tion and topography (4). Caesium‐137 (which natural terrestrial component is due to the was the only one measured in this work and radioactivity of members of the decay series of taken as representative of the nuclear weapons 238U and 232Th and the non‐series 40K that are tests, accidents/explosions and bomb era) is Ajayi and Ibikunle / Radioactivity of Surface Soils absorbed and retained by soil particles as MATERIALS AND METHODS readily as are the natural radionuclides. Estimated exposure to natural radiation from Eight cities were selected in the study area naturally occurring radionuclides has become (Oyo state, Nigeria) where surface soil samples environmental concern to the public and were collected at different locations. The cities national authorities of many countries (5‐12) include Saki and Igbeti in region north; because of its deleterious effects on human Ogbomoso in region east; Fiditi in region health. Therefore tremendous efforts are being south‐east; Eruwa in region south‐west and made to locate and control the sources of natural Ibadan and Egbeda in region south of the state radiation where economical interest exists and (igure 1), the coordinates of the cities are on which legislation must be applied. It has been shown in table 1. The locations are characterized reported that natural sources contribute almost by different local geological formations. 80% of the collective radiation exposure of the Ibadan is a very large city, densely populated world’s population (13). Knowledge of the with about 2 million inhabitants and averagely distribution pattern of both anthropogenic and industrialized. It is generally a low land area natural radionuclides is essential in maintaining with few hills and rocks. Oyo and Ogbomoso are some sense of control of prevailing radiation ancient cities of averagely low land. levels. The objective of this work therefore, was They are fairly large cities with average to measure the activity concentrations of some population density. Eruwa and Igbeti are rocky natural radionuclides as well as fallout 137Cs in cities, not large and of low population density. surface soil samples collected from selected Other cities like Egbeda, Fiditi and Saki are low cities in Oyo State, Southwestern Nigeria with lands with low population density. the aim of assessing radiation dose due to their presence in the soil. Sample collection Oyo State is one of the largest states in Soil samples were collected from suitable Nigeria. It lies within longitudes 2o 48’ and 4o 36’ locations that are free of obstructions like E and latitudes 7o 3’ and 9o 13’ N with averagely buildings, trees, rocks and not near a road in the high rainfall of about 1200 – 1350 mm annually. cities. At a location, samples were collected Relative humidity is between 70% and 90% from the 4 vertices and the center of a 1‐m and temperature is between 27oC and 32oC. square land area at a depth of between 5 cm and Ibadan, which is the state capital, is the largest city in West Africa. The baseline data that will result from this work will certainly be of importance in making estimations of population exposure in the study area. Table 1. Sampling locaons and their coordinates. Serial Number Locaon Latude/Longitude 1 Saki N080 41’/E030 21’ 2 Oyo N070 46’/E030 56’ 3 Ibadan N070 22’/E030 58’ 4 Ogbomoso N080 08’/E040 15’ 5 Fidi N070 45’/E030 53’ 6 Egbeda N070 30’/E040 01’ 7 Igbe N080 44’/E040 08’ Figure 1. Map of Oyo state, Nigeria showing sampling 0 0 8 Eruwa N07 30’/E03 30’ locaons. Int. J. Radiat. Res., Vol. 11 No. 4, October 2013 272 Ajayi and Ibikunle / Radioactivity of Surface Soils 10cm. The soil samples were thoroughly mixed using its own gamma photopeak of 1460.8 keV, together to form a single sample of about 400 g that of 137Cs was measured directly by using its from each location in a town. The soil samples own gamma‐ray photopeak at 661.7 keV while were packed in labeled cellophane bags for that of 210Pb was also measured directly using its preparation for analysis. own gamma‐ray peak at 46.5 keV. The activity concentration of 224Ra was measured by using Sample preparation the photopeak of its decay product 208Tl at 583.2 The soil samples were processed according keV, that of 226Ra was measured using its own to the recommended procedure by the gamma ray photopeak at 186.1 keV (after International Atomic Energy Agency (14). The subtracting the contribution of the gamma samples were irst sun‐dried, then oven‐dried at emission of 235U at 185.7 keV) and the 110oC to constant weight. They were pulverized photopeaks of its decay product 214Pb at 259.2 and sieved using a 2‐mm mesh screen to obtain keV and 352 keV while that 232Th was estimated a ine‐texture powder that would present by using the photopeaks of its decay products uniform matrix to the detector. About 200 g of 228Ac at 911.2 keV and 969 keV and that of 212Bi each sieved soil sample was poured into plastic at 727.3 keV. While the activity concentration of container and sealed for about 30 days before 235U was measured directly by using its own analysis. This was to allow time for secular gamma ray photopeak at 185.7 keV, that of 238U equilibrium between precursor and progeny was measured using the photopeaks of its decay radionuclide to be reached. products 214Bi at 609.3 keV and 1764.5 keV and 234Th at 92.5 keV. Where more than one decay Sample analysis and activity concentration products were used for the estimation of determination activity concentration, the estimation of a Gamma‐ray spectrometry analyses of the soil radionuclide was based on the weighted mean samples were carried out using high resolution value of its decay products. Speciic activity coaxial‐type germanium detector manufactured concentration of each radionuclide in soil was by Canberra Industries Inc. with a relative expressed in Bq kg‐1 of dry mass of soil. The eficiency of 50% and having a resolution of 2.4 activity concentration of 224Ra (half life = 3.6 keV at 1.33 MeV of 60Co. The system was set up days) was corrected for the time elapsed since to cover about 2 MeV photon energy ranges over the samples were collected in the ield using (15). 4k channels. The detector was properly shielded t A(t) A e (1) in lead castles to reduce background radiation. o The energy and eficiency calibration of the where A(t) is the activity after a time t (between measuring system was carried out using sample collection and analysis), Ao is the initial certiied reference standards of known activity (at time t = 0) of 224Ra and λ (=2.2×10‐6 concentration of 238U (RG‐U), 232Th (RG‐Th) and s‐1) is the disintegration constant of 224Ra.