Determination of Radiobiological impact parameters in soil from Sugarcane Farmland Cultivated with Waste Water in Jibiya, Katsina State-Nigeria

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the radiological impact parameters in soil
samples collected from a sugarcane farmland cultivated with waste water in
Jibiya, Katsina State- Nigeria using γ-ray spectrometry technique with sodium
iodide (NaI(Tl)) low level background detector. In the results, the average specific
activities of 238U, 232Th and 40K were found to be (18.12±0.43) ????????????????−1,
(29.189±0.78) ????????????????−1 and (67.432±1.024) ????????????????−1 respectively; And are all
within the world average values of 33 ????????????????−1, 45 ????????????????−1 and 420 ????????????????−1.
Similarly, the health effects of natural radioactivity in the soil samples caused by
these primordial radionuclides was computed using the absorbed dose (D), Annual
effective dose equivalent (AEDE), Radium equivalent activity (????????????????), External
hazard index (????????????????.), Gamma representative level index (????????) and excess life cancer
risk (ECLR) and were all within the world recommended average values; Except
ELCR that is above world average value as recommended by UNSEAR, 2000,
implying potential cancer risk to the farmers in the study area. Although this study
shows that radioactivity level is normal in the study areas, periodic evaluation of
the radioactivity level is recommended