Distribution of radionuclide in the forest soils (Western Ghats-India)

Background: The presence of radionuclides in the soil, measures need to be taken to minimize the radiation dose to humans. It is mostly gamma-emitting radionuclides that contribute to the radiation dose in long term behavior of these radionuclides in soil may determine the extent to which such countermeasures need to be applied. Materials and Methods: The activity concentration of these radionuclides in the soil samples that collected from the Longwood forest at western Ghats have been analyzed using Gamma spectrometry. Results: The mean activities of 238U, 232Th and 40K were observed 26.261Bq/kg, 53.614 Bq/kg, 204.084 Bq/kg, dry weight, respectively. The average value of dose rate was calculated 55.48 nGy/h by applying the conversion factor where as the environmental dosimeter shows the absorbed dose rate at 1m high is 96.96 nGy/h. Conclusion: It was observed that the activity concentration of primordial radionuclides and the gamma dose rate measurements by ERD and from soil is relatively higher than world average.