Vertical distribution of natural radionuclides in soil: assessment of external exposure of population in cultivated and undisturbed areas

Snežana Nenadović; Miloš Nenadović; Ljiljana Kljajević; Ivana Vukanac; Maja Poznanović; Ana Mihajlović-Radosavljević; Vladimir Pavlović

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.04.054

Vertical distribution of natural radionuclides in soil: assessment of external exposure of population in cultivated and undisturbed areas

Sci Total Environ. 2012 Jul 1:429:309-16. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.04.054. Epub 2012 May 14.

Authors

Snežana Nenadović¹, Miloš Nenadović, Ljiljana Kljajević, Ivana Vukanac, Maja Poznanović, Ana Mihajlović-Radosavljević, Vladimir Pavlović

Affiliation

¹ Laboratory for Material Science, Institute of Nuclear Sciences "Vinča", University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.

PMID: 22591991
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2012.04.054

Abstract

In the present work, naturally occurring radionuclides ²³⁸U, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K were measured in soil samples from the cultivated and undisturbed areas in Rudovci, municipality of Lazarevac, Serbia. There were three profiles, each profile divided into four horizons, giving the twelve soil samples. The specific activity of ²³⁸U, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K in soil and sediment samples was determined by gamma spectrometry using the HPGe semiconductor detector. Obtained activity concentrations ranged from 28.0 to 44.0 Bq/kg for ²³⁸U, from 59.4 to 71.4 Bq/kg for ²³²Th and from 335.0 to 517.0 Bq/kg for ⁴⁰K. The evaluation of the radiological hazards originated from ²³⁸U, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K in the samples, the absorbed dose rate (D) and the annual effective dose rate (E), calculated in accordance with the UNSCEAR 2000 report, are presented in this paper.