Radiological Safety Assessment of Quarry Processing Site in Keffi, Nigeria

Abstract

Usman Rilwan, Alkasim Abubakar, Yusuf Idowu Moshood, Ismail Wasiu Olanyi & Ibikunle Sunday Babatunde

Disposal of large quantities of certain minerals (mining) containing 40K, 232Th and 226Ra and other radionuclides in the decay series of Th and U from the earth crust results in increase in the radionuclides concentrations. This research looks at the radiological safety assessment of quarry Processing Site in Keffi, Nigeria. The activity concentration of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in the five (5) different Soil samples, varied widely as 10.54±3.040 Bq/ kg, 2.61±1.170 Bq/kg and 36.99 ± 7.490 Bq/kg respectively. Ungwan Tanko (UTN) has the highest activity concentration of 14.90 ± 2.30 Bq/kg for 226Ra while Pyanku (PYK) has the highest activity concentration of 4.52 ± 0.32 Bq/kg for 232Th. Activity concentration of 40K was highest (57.32 ± 2.530 Bq/kg) in Ungwan Kwara (UKW). It was also observed that Yalwa (YLW) had the lowest activity concentration of 02.20 ± 1.31 Bq/kg for 226Ra, while Ungwan Tanko (UTN) had the lowest activity concentration values of 1.03 ± 1.74 Bq/kg for 232Th and Attab Fueling Station (AFS) had the lowest activity concentration values of 13.67 ± 15.73 Bq/kg for 40K. Radium equivalent activity Raeq (Bq/kg), alpha index, internal hazard index, and total cancer risk 17.52 Bq/kg 0.055, 0.077 and 6.82 x 10-7 respectively. Based on the results presented, the present quarry processing sites in Keffi has less effect on ingestion rate of Soil and may poses no radiological risk to the population

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