Radiological Study on Soils, Foodstuff and Fertilizers in the Alexandria Region, Egypt

Authors : Ibrahim H. SALEH

Pages : 9-17

Doi:10.3906/tar-1201-1

View : 28 | Download : 13

Publication Date : 0000-00-00

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :Radionuclides 226Ra, 232Th, 40K and 137Cs were measured in foodstuffs insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(vegetables, fruits, seeds, cereals, meats, and milks);, soil, and agricultural chemical fertilizers insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(phosphate and urea); using a high-resolution gamma ray spectrometer. The gamma Dose Rate Conversion Factors insert ignore into journalissuearticles values(DRCFs); for the radionuclides present in the surface layer of the investigated soil were developed based on the local soil conditions and the updated nuclear properties of radionuclides. Good agreement between the calculated DRCFs and those in the literature was found. The annual external and internal effective dose rates from soil and food were deduced. The annual average of the external effective dose rate was 195.28 m Sv. The daily intake of radionuclides from food consumption reveals that vegetables are the biggest contributors, while meat is the lowest. The annual internal effective dose rates were 61.32 m nd 146.54 m Sv for 226Ra and 40K, respectively. The levels of radionuclides in phosphate and urea fertilizers frequently applied to the agricultural soil of the study area indicated that the highest levels of 226Ra and 232Th were in super-phosphate and the lowest in urea. Finally, the transfer of radionuclides from soil to plants was discussed.
Keywords : Effective dose, Fertilizer, Foodstuff, Radionuclide, Soil