Radio-Assay of Plant Samples at the Proposed Nuclear Reactor Site in Geregu, North-Central Nigeria

Abstract

Radio-assay of plant samples at the Geregu site, North-Central Nigeria, was evaluated to determine the radiological burden on the environment. Plant samples were collected from ten different locations on the site and the concentrations were measured using gamma spectroscopy. Radiological equivalent dose was estimated using standard analytical methods. The mean value for the external outdoor absorbed gamma dose rates due to terrestrial γ-rays from the nuclides Ra-226, Th-232 and K-40 at 1 m above the ground level was       46.64 nGyh^-1.The mean annual effective dose equivalent(AEDE) (outdoor and indoor) were        51.70µSυy^-1and 206.7970 µSυy^-1, respectively. The excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) mean value was 0.18×10^-3. All the plants have values of AEDE (outdoor and indoor) and ELCR that are lower than the standard United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) values.

Keywords: radio-assay, radiation, dose rate, radioactivity

Cite this ArticleNgbede A, Abiodun A, Oluwaseun A. Radio-Assay of Plant Samples at the Proposed Nuclear Reactor Site in Geregu, North-Central Nigeria. Journal of Nuclear Engineering and Technology. 2015; 5(3): 6–13p.