RISK ASSESSMENT RESULTING FROM RADIONUCLIDES IN SOILS OF THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA
Abstract
In the last decade, many studies have been made for measuring natural radioactivity in regions of the Republic of
Macedonia. However, the information on terrestrial radiation exposure, and, consequently, risk assessment were not
available. In this study, a risk assessment was done considering a specific activity concentration of 226Ra, 232Th, 40K and
137Cs in the topsoil. The results indicate that the external gamma doses due to natural radionuclides in soils are higher
than those of 137Cs. The absorbed dose rate in air varies in intervals: from 4.3 to 57 nGy/h (due to 226Ra); from 3.9 to 88
nGy/h (due to 232Th); from 3.3 to 58 nGy/h (due to 40K); and from 0.01 to 5.3 nGy/h (due to 137Cs). In addition, the
mean annual effective doses due to natural radionuclides and 137Cs in the soils of the Republic of Macedonia are estimated
to be 78 μSv and 1.01 μSv, respectively. As well as, the values of external hazard index Hex indicate in general
low gamma radiation risk for populations living in the Republic of Macedonia.
Keywords
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DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.20903/csnmbs.masa.2019.40.2.142
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