Assessment of Radioactive Substance in Soil at Dien Bien Phu Fault Area, Xayaburi and Luang Prabang Provinces, The Lao People's Democratic Republic
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Abstract
The purpose of this research is to analyze the specific activity of the natural radioactive nuclides 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K and to assess the hazards from radioactive substances in soil samples in the Dien Bien Phu fault area, which runs through Xayaburi and Luang Prabang in the Lao People's Democratic Republic. Ten soil samples were collected including 8 samples from Xayaburi Province and 2 samples from Luang Prabang Province. Gamma spectrometry analysis was performed using a high-purity Germanium (HPGe) detector. The results of the analysis showed that the nuclides 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K had average specific activity values of 22.49 ± 0.25 Bq.kg-1, 12.76 ± 0.17 Bq.kg-1, and 121.66 ± 0.73 Bq.kg-1, respectively, which is below the worldwide mean of 35 Bq.kg-1, 30 Bq.kg -1 and 400 Bq.kg -1, respectively. After assessing the risks posed by radioactive substances, it was determined that the average radium equivalent activity (Raeq) is 46.38 ± 0.11 Bq.kg-1. The external hazard index (Hex) and the internal hazard index (Hin) had an average value of 0.13 ± 0.01 and 0.18 ± 0.01, respectively. The average Gamma-absorbed dose rate (D) was 21.39 ± 0.07 nGy.h-1. The average annual external effective dose rate (E) was 0.03 ± 0.003 mSv.y-1, and the average excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) was 0.01 ± 0.002 mSv.y-1. These values were lower than the standard set by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) with values equal to 370 Bq.kg-1, 1, 1, 55 nGy.h-1, 0.48 mSv.y-1, and 0.29 mSv.y-1, respectively, Therefore, our data suggested that the soil natural radioactivity in the Dien Bien Phu fault area is in the safe level.
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References
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