Article

Natural radioactivity and radiological hazards assessment in soil samples of Hassan district, Karnataka State, India

¹ Department of Physics, Government First Grade College, Tiptur 572202, India
² Department Science and Humanities, PES University, Electronic City Campus, Bangalore 560100, India
³ Department of Physics, M.P.E Society’s, S.D.M Degree College, Honavar, Karnataka 581334, India

^* Corresponding authors: rangaswamydr@pes.edu; srinivasyadhu@gmail.com

Received: 7 June 2024
Accepted: 11 July 2024

Abstract

The distribution of natural radionuclides in soil samples was carried out in and around Hassan district, Karnataka, India, by using a Hyper Purity Germanium (HPGe) detector, and the portable GM survey meter ER-709 used to measure the natural ambient gamma dose rate. The activity concentration of radionuclides such as ²³⁸U, ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K in soil samples of the study area varies from 16 ± 1 to 72 ± 2, 13 ± 1 to 64 ± 2, 19 ± 1 to 185 ± 2, and 197 ± 9 to 1214 ± 22 Bq kg⁻¹ with a mean value of 42 ± 2, 39 ± 1, 58 ± 2, and 592 ± 15 Bq kg⁻¹, respectively. The radiological hazards such as the radium equivalent activities (Ra_eq), external hazard index (H_ex), internal hazard index (H_in), gamma index (I_γ), gamma absorbed dose, and annual effective dose associated with the natural radioactivity in soil samples were calculated and compared with global average values.