Nuclear Engineering and Technology

Korean Nuclear Society (한국원자력학회)
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Activity concentrations and radiological hazard assessments of 226Ra, 232Th, 40K, and 137Cs in soil samples obtained from the Dongnam Institute of Radiological & Medical Science, Korea

  • Jieun Lee (Dongnam Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences) ;
  • HyoJin Kim (Dongnam Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences) ;
  • Yong Uk Kye (Dongnam Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences) ;
  • Dong Yeon Lee (Department of Radiological Science, College of Nursing, Health Sciences & Human Ecology, Dong-Eui University) ;
  • Wol Soon Jo (Dongnam Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences) ;
  • Chang Geun Lee (Dongnam Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences) ;
  • Jeung Kee Kim (Dongnam Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences) ;
  • Jeong-Hwa Baek (Dongnam Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences) ;
  • Yeong-Rok Kang (Dongnam Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences)
  • Received : 2022.12.19
  • Accepted : 2023.03.17
  • Published : 2023.07.25
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Abstract

The radioactivity concentration of environmental radionuclides was analyzed for soil and sand at eight locations within a radius of 255 m centered on the Dongnam Institute of Radiological & Medical Science (DIRAMS), Korea. The average activity concentrations of 40K, 137Cs, 226Ra, and 232Th were 661.1 Bq/kg-dry, 0.9 Bq/kg-dry, 21.9 Bq/kg-dry, and 11.1 Bq/kg-dry, respectively. The activity of 40K and 137Cs was lower than the 3-year (2017-2019) average reported by the Korea Institute of Nuclear Safety, respectively. Due to the nature of granite-rich soil, the radioactivity of 40K was 0.6-fold higher than in other countries, while 137Cs was in the normal fluctuation range (15-30 Bq/kg-dry) of the concentration of radioactive fallout from nuclear tests. The activity of 226Ra and 232Th was lower than in Korean soils reported by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR). The average activity concentrations of 232Th and 40K for the soil and sand samples from DIRAMS were within the range specified by UNSCEAR in 2000. The radium equivalent activity and internal and external hazard index values were below the recommended limits (1 mSv/y). These radionuclide concentration (226Ra, 232Th, 40K, and 137Cs) data can be used for regional environmental monitoring and ecological impact assessments of nuclear power plant accidents.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This work was supported by Dongnam Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences, with the grant funded by the Korean Government (MSIT) (Grant No. 50491e2023).

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