Outdoor dose rate mapping in Kuwait

As part of ongoing efforts to develop the data base required for the gamma dose rate baseline in Kuwait, a survey of ambient outdoor gamma-ray dose rates was carried out in 112 locations within the country. Measurements were performed, during the period from August 2013 to March 2016, in various undisturbed open areas in the desert using a NaI dosimeter/spectrometer. The dose rates were recorded along with the corresponding gamma-ray spectra for in-situ relative contribution of the primordial radionuclides and ¹³⁷Cs in the outdoor environment. Soil samples were also collected from the surface layers in a few locations for laboratory gamma spectrometric analysis and dose rate calculations. The dose rates obtained range from 31 to 59 nSv/h with a mean value of 46.5 nSv/h. There was no anomaly in the relative contributions of the primordial radionuclides to the dose rate values, while ¹³⁷Cs was not detected within the investigated locations. The significance of using the NaI-based dosimeter in the present survey is discussed in the paper. - Highlights: • Outdoor gamma-ray dose rates were carried out in 112 locations within Kuwait. • The dose rate values range from 31 to 59 nSv/h with a mean value of 46.5 nSv/h. • No anomaly in the relative contributions of the primordial radionuclides to the dose rate values were found. • Some inadequacies were identified between the directly-measured and laboratory-estimated outdoor gamma dose rates.