ASSESSMENT OF NATURAL RADIO ACTIVITY LEVEL AND RADIATION HAZARD INDICES OF SOIL SAMPLES FROM BANI WALEED, LIBYA

Abstract

The activity concentrations of some radionuclides (²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K) were measured at three sites in Bani Waleed City, which had been bombed during Libyan 2012 chaos. Nine Soil samples were collected from three sites (Tagrafeet Camp, City Centre Camp, and Sakia Camp) at depth of 10 cm.

Hyper-pure germanium (HPGe) gamma-ray detection technology was used to measure these activity concentrations, and the results were compared to the international permissible values. The results of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰Kin the samples were found to exceed the world permissible values of 35, 30, and 400 Bq/kg respectively. However, in the City Centre Camp, the ⁴⁰K was found to be below the world average, and the mean average of Radium Equivalent Activity (R_aeq) of the three locations was found within the recommended safety level.

In Tagrafeet and Sakia Camps, the absorbed dose rate mean value was found to be higher than the world mean value of (60 nGyh^-1) whereas the City Centre Camp mean value was within the permissible world value. Moreover, in Tagrafeet and Sakia Camps, the Annual Effective Dose Equivalent (AEDE) outdoor mean value was found higher than the world permissible value but the mean value in the City Centre Camp was lower than the world value. The AEDE indoor and Hazard indices (H_ex and H_in) were found to be lower than the permissible world values.