ASSESSMENT OF NATURAL RADIOACTIVITY AND RADIOLOGICAL RISKS IN SOIL OF NUMBUPI MINING SITE IN NIGER STATE, NIGERIA: PUBLIC HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPLICATIONS
Keywords:
Soil contamination, Natural radioactivity, Radiological hazards, Gamma spectrometry, Dose assessment, Hazard indexAbstract
The study was conducted in Numbupi, a gold-mining settlement in Chanchaga Local Government Area, Niger State, Nigeria. The area features lowland topography surrounded by rock formations and is characterized by open-pit mining practices. The study uses gamma spectrometry with a sodium iodide (NaI (Tl)) detector to assess the natural radioactivity concentrations of Ra, Th, and K in seven soil samples collected from the Numbupi Mining Site in Niger State, Nigeria. The mean activity concentrations of Ra (85.81 18.32 Bq/kg), Th (15.84 8.21 Bq/kg), and K (213.41 89.67 Bq/kg) were calculated and compared with world mean values. A high K concentration in Sample 5 (324.45 Bq/kg) is likely driven by anthropogenic sources, potassium fertilizer application, as it is a well-documented contributor to K enrichment, and natural (alluvial) interactions, while elevated Ra concentration in Samples 1 (136.70 Bq/kg) and 7 (120.72 Bq/kg) correlated with local granitic geology. The following radiological health parameters were calculated: radium equivalent activity (124.90 42.56 Bq/kg), absorbed dose rate (58.11 18.23 nGy/h), annual effective dose equivalent (0.36 0.12 mSv/y), and hazard indices (Hex = 0.34 0.12, Hin = 0.57 0.22). The observed correlations between natural radionuclides (Ra, Th, and K) in the analyzed soil samples reflect complex geological and anthropogenic interactions. The study revealed a strong positive correlation between Th and K (r = +0.85), primarily driven by Samples 5 and 7, indicating that soils with higher thorium concentrations also tend to have elevated potassium levels. All the calculated values were found to be well below international safety...
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
FUDMA Journal of Sciences
How to Cite
Most read articles by the same author(s)
- Sulaiman Nasir Mujahid, Muhammad Umar Bala, Adam Mubarak Isyaku, Musa Abba, Suleiman Sani, Hussaini Aliyu, Aliyu Muhammad, Yahuza Jamilu, Sani Shafiu, Musa Yusuf Umar, EVALUATION OF SPECIFIC HEAVY METALS IN DRINKING WATER CONSUMED IN YAR’AKWA QUARTERS, NA’IBAWA, TARAUNI LGA, KANO STATE, NIGERIA , FUDMA JOURNAL OF SCIENCES: Vol. 8 No. 3 (2024): FUDMA Journal of Sciences - Vol. 8 No. 3 (Special Issue)
- Jibril Musa, Abubakar Haruna, Aregbe O. Olubunmi, Abdullahi A. Abubakar, Nuraddeen N. Garba, Usman Adamu, Aliyu Muhammad, Abdulkadir Mukhtar, Abdullahi M. Vatsa, Usman M. Kankara, Aminu Ismaila, Aliyu Saidu, DUAL-MODAL RISK ASSESSMENT OF LEAD AND CADMIUM IN GROUNDWATER: BRIDGING DETERMINISTIC AND PROBABILISTIC FRAMEWORKS , FUDMA JOURNAL OF SCIENCES: Vol. 9 No. 5 (2025): FUDMA Journal of Sciences - Vol. 9 No. 5