https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-024-05823-7
Regular Article
Quantification of natural radioactivity, radon levels, and radiological health hazards in soil from seismic fault zones
1
Radiation Physics Lab, Department of Physics, COMSATS University Islamabad, 45550, Islamabad, Pakistan
2
National Center for Physics Islamabad, Islamabad, Pakistan
3
Faculty of Science, Department of Physics and Material Science, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand
4
Faculty of Engineering, Department of Nuclear Engineering, King Abdulaziz University, 21589, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
5
Department of Physics, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, 23200, Mardan, Pakistan
Received:
25
July
2024
Accepted:
9
November
2024
Published online:
23
November
2024
The earth’s crust is divided into fifteen tectonic plates, with Pakistan situated on a convergent boundary between the Eurasian and the Indian plates. This has resulted in massive mountain ranges and faults, including the Himalayas and Hindu Kush Mountains. Soil sampling was conducted at eight specific places around the point of convergence of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates (Main Boundary Thrust) in Margalla, Islamabad. These sites were purposely chosen due to the presence of fault lines that are prone to seismic activity. The study involved quantifying the natural radioactivity of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K in the soil along the Main Boundary Thrust near Islamabad, using an HPGe detector. In addition, the radon concentration was determined using a Rad7 alpha detector. The activity of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K was 17 ± 6, 16 ± 8 and 167 ± 79 Bqkg−1, respectively. The radon concentration at 10, 20 and 30cm depths was measured using a Rad-7 detector. The measured activity of radionuclides was used to quantify the health hazards posed by the radionuclides upon exposure.
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© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Società Italiana di Fisica and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2024. Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
