Natural radionuclide and 137Cs activity concentration in soils of the Brazilian State of Sergipe and their correlation with environmental characteristics

• Published in: Brazilian Journal of Radiation Sciences 2024-09, Vol.12 (3), p.e2525
• Main Authors: Cavalcante Ferreira, Luiz, Alves da Silva, Amanda, Araujo Ribeiro, Fernando Carlos, De Oliveira Sousa, Wanderson, Costa, Wagner Chaves, De Mesquista, Sueli Alexandra, Paim Viglio, Eduardo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: external dose; natural radionuclides; soil radioactivity mapping
• ISSN: 2319-0612; 2319-0612
• DOI: 10.15392/2319-0612.2024.2525

Radionuclides occur naturally in the environment, exposing living organisms to ionizing radiation. In addition, human activities have introduced artificial radionuclides such as 137Cs, among others, into the environment. To better understand the occurrence and behaviour of radionuclides in soil, several countries have developed radiological studies and constructed maps. An effort has been made in Brazil to assess the radioactivity in the soils of the country. In this study, the activity concentrations of natural radionuclides 40K, 226Ra and 228Ra, and artificial 137Cs were determined in samples at a depth of 20 cm collected from the soils of the Brazilian State of Sergipe, in a regular grid of 25 km x 25 km. Samples were analysed by gamma-ray spectrometry with the use of hyperpure germanium detectors. The results were correlated with the type of soil, geology, and climate characteristics of the State. The median activity concentrations of 40K, 226Ra, and 228Ra were 210.4 Bq.kg-1, 12.33 Bq.kg-1, and 18.69 Bq.kg-1, respectively. The results are lower than those reported for soils from other Brazilian States in the same region. The activity concentration of 137Cs was lower than the minimum detectable activity. The activity concentration of 40K in young soils of the semi-arid region was higher than that found in most weathered soils of the rainy regions due to the very low pluviometry of the semi-arid area. Higher activity levels of 226Ra were found in Planosol and for 228Ra it was found in the weathered soils (Acrisol) of the coastal zone. Maps of the distribution of the studied radionuclides were designed. The median value of the outdoor absorbed dose rate in air (Dnat) calculated for the soils of the State of Sergipe is lower when compared with other Brazilian States and the UNSCEAR’s worldwide median value. No meio ambiente, o radionuclídeo ocorre naturalmente, causando a exposição dos organismos vivos à radiação ionizante. Além disso, as atividades humanas introduziram no meio ambiente o radionuclídeo artificial 137Cs, entre outros. Para melhor compreender a ocorrência e o comportamento dos radionuclídeos no solo, vários países desenvolveram estudos radiológicos e construíram mapas. Um esforço tem sido realizado no Brasil para avaliar a radioatividade nos solos do país. Neste estudo, as concentrações de atividade dos radionuclídeos naturais 40K, 226Ra e 228Ra e 137Cs artificiais foram determinadas em amostras de 20 cm de profundidade coletadas em solos do