Analysis of natural radionuclides in soil using high purity germanium detector based gamma ray spectrometry

²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K present in soil, rocks, building materials and environment are the main contributors to terrestrial radiation dose. These radionuclides are distributed everywhere in soil and rocks in varying concentrations. The distribution of radionuclides is one of the important parameters for measurement of radiation exposure and assessment of background radiation. With the aim of investigating health effects from external exposure to ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K present in the soil of Garhwal Himalaya, India; the soil samples collected from different locations were analyzed with gamma ray spectrometry employing high purity germanium (HPGe) detector. Important properties such as efficiency and energy resolution of gamma-ray detector were also determined to ensure the accuracy of the radiometric analysis. The measured specific activities were used to estimate different health hazard indices and air absorbed dose associated with radionuclides exposure. The reported data can be considered as base values for distribution of natural radionuclides in soil samples in the studied region, and will be used as reference information to assess any radiological contamination due to soil in future