A review of the occurrence of naturally occurring radioactive materials and radiological risk assessment in South African soils.

Autor: Ilori AO; School of Chemistry and Physics, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa., Chetty N
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: International journal of environmental health research [Int J Environ Health Res] 2024 Aug; Vol. 34 (8), pp. 2969-2982. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Nov 15.
DOI: 10.1080/09603123.2023.2280661
Abstrakt: According to reports, exposure to high concentrations of naturally occurring radioactive substances like Uranium-238, Thorium-232, and Potassium-40 poses serious health concerns. This review study aims to report the concentrations of radionuclides in various South African soil and their equivalent risk assessments, which have been sparingly reported. For South Africa, most radionuclide concentrations above the permissible limits of 33, 45, and 420 Bq.kg -1 for 238 U, 232 Th, and 40 K, respectively, have been found in some soil samples taken near industrialization activities, including mining and oil exploration and production. Thus, the amount of radionuclides is a good indicator of the kind of soil, the local geology, and the mineral make-up of the parent rocks. The increases in radiation exposure to people and the environment have been reported to cause various radiological health hazards. Thus, this review study can be used as a data source to track probable radioactive contamination from soils found in South Africa.
Databáze: MEDLINE