Soil radioactivity and radiation absorbed dose rates at roadsides in high-traffic density areas in Ibadan metropolis, southwestern Nigeria

The effect of ionising of ionising radiation on biological systems depends among other factors on time and place of exposure and population involved. Socio-economic factors in human daily activities have subjected humans to certain environmental health risks. In most cases the risk appears to be higher outdoors than indoors. In order to quantify the radiation exposure levels to individuals in the outdoors in areas with high human and vehicular densities, roadside soil samples were collected from major bus stops and round-about in the metropolis of Ibadan and were analysed for their activity concentration levels using gamma-ray spectrometry. The 40K activity concentration ranged between 96.1 and 336.5 Bq kg-1 with a mean of 219.8 ± 71.4 Bq kg-1; 238U was in the range of 10.2-40.7 Bq kg-1 with a mean of 20.3 ± 6.9 Bq kg-1 while that of 232Th ranged between 13.3 and 29.7 Bq kg-1 with a mean of 21.2 ± 5.3 Bq kg-1. The total gamma absorbed dose rates in air ranged between 17.2 and 41.8 nGy h-1 with an average of 32.0 ± 5.8 nGy h-1. The gamma absorbed dose rates at the roadsides in traffic density areas were found to be lower when compared with previously reported values in natural and undisturbed locations in non-traffic density areas in the city. (authors)