Radiological impact assessment of nuclear weapon depots in Valley Rwagh, Libya

Activity levels of the natural ( 238 U, 232 Th, 226 Ra, and 40 K) and artificial ( 137 Cs) radionuclides in surface soil samples collected from different areas of Libya, especially the southern and central provinces, including Valley Rwagh, which is in a mountainous region in Al-Jufra Oasis amid the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental forensics 2017-07, Vol.18 (3), p.207-213
Main Authors: Elnimr, M. A., Turhan, Ş., Khalid, M. M., Ali Madee, Y. G., Gala, H., Kurnaz, A., Hançerlioğulları, A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
annual effective dose
Caesium 137
Cancer
Cesium radioisotopes
Detection
Gamma rays
Health risks
Inhalation
Ionizing radiation
lifetime cancer risk
Mountains
natural radioactivity
Nuclear weapons
Oases
outdoor gamma dose rate
Radiation dosage
Radioisotopes
Radiological assessment
Radionuclide kinetics
Radium isotopes
Radium radioisotopes
Radon
Soil
Soil surfaces
Soils
Valleys
Weapons
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Summary:Activity levels of the natural ( 238 U, 232 Th, 226 Ra, and 40 K) and artificial ( 137 Cs) radionuclides in surface soil samples collected from different areas of Libya, especially the southern and central provinces, including Valley Rwagh, which is in a mountainous region in Al-Jufra Oasis amid the Libyan desert, 600 km southeast of Tripoli, and in which there are stores of various weapons, were determined using a gamma-ray spectrometer with a HPGe detector. The average activity concentrations of 238 U, 232 Th, 226 Ra, and 40 K were measured as 87 ± 11, 202 ± 36, 121 ± 19, and 73 ± 3 Bq kg -1 , respectively. The activity levels of artificial radionuclide 137 Cs measured in soil samples were below the detection limit. The average concentrations of radon in soil and air were estimated as 103 kBq m -3 and 327 Bq m -3 , respectively. The average values of outdoor absorbed gamma dose rate and the corresponding annual effective dose rate from external exposure, annual effective dose rate from inhalation of radon, and lifetime cancer risk estimated for assessing the radiological impacts caused by ionizing radiation emitted from these radionuclides on the population in the region were found to be 165 nGy h -1 , 203 μSv y -1 , 3096 μSv y -1 , and 7 × 10 -4 , respectively.
ISSN:1527-5922
1527-5930
DOI:10.1080/15275922.2017.1340368