Radiological hazards of 137Cs in cultivated and undisturbed areas

Abstract

The exposure of human beings to ionizing radiation from 137Cs is a continuing and inescapable feature of life on Earth. Artificial radio nuclides are widely distributed in various geological formations and ecosystems such as rock, soil, groundwater, and foodstuffs. In the presents study, the distribution of 137Cs was measured in soil samples collected from different lithological units of the Rudovci, Lazarevac, Serbia. Analysis of the vertical soil profiles indicated that the activity of 137Cs was not extremely changed with depth. The activity concentrations of the 137Cs in measured soil samples ranged from below minimal detectable concentrations up to 38.1 Bq/kg. In order to evaluate the radiological hazards due to 137Cs in the samples, the absorbed dose rate and the annual effective dose were calculated in accordance with recommendations given in the UNSCEAR 2000 report. The distribution of radionuclides depends upon the rock composition, chemical and physical properties of the soil. The external absorbed gamma dose rates due 137Cs were found to vary from 0 to 1.16 nGy/h.