Distribution of 210-polonium activity and soil texture in agricultural soil

The assessment of Polonium-210 in agricultural soil matrices in different region of Kerala and Karnataka were studied. The radiochemical methods and a scintillation-based alpha counting system were used to measure the radionuclides of Polonium-210 in agricultural soil. The α-activity was then counted using a ZnS (Ag) counter of 30% efficiency, and the activity was calculated. The average activity of Polonium-210 in soil samples ranges from 0.09 to 20.52 Bq kg^-1, with an average value of 4.47 Bq kg^-1. The soil texture was measured using the international pipette method. The lowest activity concentration of Polonium-210 is found in sandy clay loam soil. Whereas, the highest activity of polonium-210 value was absorbed in clay loam soil. Using the IBM SPSS software, the frequency distribution curve of Polonium-210 is plotted, and found to be lognormal in nature. The data of Polonium is highly skewed and, the Kurtosis has a significant positive value. The Polonium-210 activity concentrations are substantially within the WHO's recommended limits. (author)