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Radioactivity Concentrations in Soil and Plants Farmed Around Crude Oil Producing Areas of Edo State, Nigeria |
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PP: 151-158 |
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doi:10.18576/jrna/100208
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Author(s) |
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Joseph G. Isibor,
Umaru Ibrahim,
Samson D. Yusuf,
Idris M. Mustapha,
Abdullahi A. Mundi,
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Abstract |
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| The exploration and production of crude oil have raised environmental concerns, particularly regarding the accumulation of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMs) in soil and crops. This study investigates the concentrations of radioactivity in soil and plants cultivated around crude oil-producing areas of Edo State, Nigeria, to assess potential radiological health risks. The primary objective is to determine the levels of radionuclides in agricultural soil and evaluate their transfer to food crops. A systematic sampling approach was employed, collecting soil and plant samples from selected farmlands within and outside oil-producing zones. Gamma spectrometry was used to analyze the activity concentrations of key radionuclides, including uranium-238, thorium-232, and potassium-40. The measured values were compared with international safety limits recommended by organizations such as the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The mean activity concentration levels of potassium (K), uranium (U), and thorium (Th) in plant (soil) samples are 389.62 Bq/kg (2618.06 Bq/kg), 26.10 Bq/kg (87.47 Bq/kg), and 5.50 Bq/kg (21.43 Bq/kg) respectively. The soil-to-plant transfer factors (TF) for 40K, 238U, and 232Th were found to be 0.14882, 0.298287, and 0.256239, respectively, indicating that uranium has the highest mobility and bioavailability, followed by thorium and potassium. The calculated absorbed dose rate, gamma dose rate, radium equivalent, annual effective dose equivalent, and excess lifetime cancer risk for plant (soil) are 31.62 nGy/h (162.5234 nGy/h), 64.13 Bq/kg (320.3806 Bq/kg), 0.173 (0.863414), 0.038782 μSv/y (0.199319 μSv/y) and 0.135735 (0.697615), respectively. The global average annual effective dose from natural background radiation is approximately 2.4 mSv/year below the 1 mSv/year threshold set by international radiation protection guidelines. These values suggest that the soils are safe for general use, with no immediate concerns for radiation-related health effects, and that monitoring these values is more for precaution and continued assessment of environmental conditions. |
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