Katsina Journal of Natural and Applied Science VOL. 5 No.

2 September 2016 (ISSN: 2141-0755)

ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY ASSESSMENT OF DANA STEEL LIMITED DUMP SITE,

KATSINA STATE, NIGERIA

S. Bello1,2,Y.I Zakari2, B.G Muhammad1,N.L Chiromawa1 and A.Y Sabiru1.

1Department
of Physics, Umaru Musa Yar’adua University Katsina. Katsina state, Nigeria
2Department of Physics,Ahmadu Bello University Zaria. Kaduna State, Nigeria

Correspondence Author Email: suleiman.bello@umyu.edu.ng Phone: +2348166791940

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

ABSTRACT

Naturally occurring radioactive materials concentrations of soil samples from Dana steel limited dump site were
determined using sodium iodide thallium activated gamma spectrometry system at centre for energy research and
training, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. The activity concentrations of K-40, Ra-226 and Th-232 ranged from
15.552 to 271.073Bq/kg, 11.819 to 51.796Bq/kg and 21.779 to 351.234Bq/kg with mean values of
104.450Bq/kg,27.723Bq/kg and 50.311Bq/kg respectively. The obtained activity concentrations were used for
computations of radiometric parameters. The results show that the mean of all the hazard indices have values less
than unity.in conformity with the values of the hazard indices, the radium equivalent activity has a mean value of
107.711Bq/kg which is lower than the maximum permissible value of 370Bq/kg which implies that members of
public will be subjected to an effective dose lower than 1mSv.Thus, the radiation burden and associated risk posed by
Dana steel rolling wastes on the studied environment and scavengers is minimal.

keywords: Gamma spectrometry,Effective dose,radiometric parameters,Radioactivity and naturally

occurring radioactive materials.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________

INTRODUCTION
Radiation is present everywhere on the surface
of the earth since the creation of the
universe(USEPA,2004).In addition to this
existing radiation, human activities produce
different forms of radiation which exposes
plants and animals(CCOHS,2013).Most
radiation in the world is caused naturally
through cosmic and terrestrial sources. Most of
human exposure to natural radiation comes
from radon in rocks and soils. The worldwide
average background radiation is 2.4mSv per
year (Radiophobia, 2011).Unnecessary
exposures to these radiations have shown to
have detrimental effects to the plants, animals
and humans.
Disposal of wastes without adequate
management and protection of the environment
may lead to pollution. It has been revealed that
staple food stuffs consumed in Nigeria contain
traces of radionuclides (Jibiri, 2007),as a result of
these the dump sites are liable recipients of
containment of this radioactive materials.
Indiscriminate dumping of industrial(hazardous
and non-hazardous) wastes such as steel
slags,glasses,insecticides
containers,bulbs,painted metals and Food
containers in Dana Steel limited dump site may
enhance the background radiation there by
affecting the ecosystem around the area. It has
been established that Dana steel limited
dumpsite has been seriously polluted with
heavy metals(Bello etal,2015 and 2016).Open
dumping of solid wastes are the major causes of
environmental degradation and public health
concerns in many developing countries
Including Nigeria(Rushbook,2001),these waste
dumps may contain a mixture of general wastes
and toxic or radioactive waste and are
susceptible to burning and exposure to
scavengers(Rushbook,2011).Uranium is
characterized by both radiotoxicity and chemical
toxicity, but it is the latter which limits its
exposure to humans (Oeh etal.,2007a) whereas

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Katsina Journal of Natural and Applied Science
thorium is to be considered as only radiotoxic.
The health hazards associated with these
radionuclides stem from their ability to
bioaccumulate in human tissues, during the
nuclear transformation processes, the
radionuclides emit gamma rays as well as high
LET charged particles there by causing intensive
damage to the tissues where they are localized
and to a lesser extent to the neighboring organs.
Radionuclides of both uranium and thorium
decay series can be often present to a high
degree in the materials occurring in frame of
steel rolling dumpings.Indiscriminate and
improper depositions of dumps in Dana steel
limited dumpsite may increase the mobility of
these radionuclides since the dumpsite slopes
steeply(Plate1) towards water way link and
hence the risk of being transported to large
inhabitant areas (Henriques and
Fernandes,1991).Due to leaching and re-
suspension processes, Uranium and Thorium
from this dumpsite can find their way in surface
and ground water (Ragnarsdottir and
Charlet,2000).Consequently, this dumpsite can
make Dana steel limited a source of pollution to
the ground and surface waters, as well as soils
in its vicinities(Hector etal,2006).Humans can be
exposed to these radionuclides through
inhalation of suspended dust in the air, direct
dermal contact and/or consumption of crops
grown on the affected lands. The main source of
gamma radiation exposure for the observed
population is naturally occurring radionuclides.
Hence, the aim of this study is to assess the
radiological safety of Dana steel limited
dumpsite,Katsina state,Nigeria in a bid to
establish a data base(reference level) for
environmental radioactivity of dumpsites and
identify spatial locations likely to be
radiologically hazardous to the populace.
MATERIALS AND METHOD
Study Area: (Description and Sampling
Techniques)
Dana steel limited dumpsite is located in
latitude 12º 57¹ 43¹¹N to 12º 58¹ 7¹¹N, Longitude
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VOL. 5 No. 2 September 2016 (ISSN: 2141-0755)
7º 37¹11¹¹E to 7º 37¹ 16¹¹E and altitude 522.5m to
616.6m in Katsina state of Nigeria. The dumpsite
was partitioned into nine (9) grid points labeled
A-I. Soil samples were collected from each grid
according to depth using hand auger. The
depths were designated 1, 2, 3 and 4 which
stands for 0- <20cm, 20- <40cm, 40-<60cm and
60-<80cm respectively. Nine (9) soil samples
were collected from each depth making a total of
36 samples. Samples 1-9, 10-18, 19-27 and 28-36
were collected from depths 1, 2, 3 and 4
respectively. Control samples were collected at a
distance 3Km away from the dumpsite. After
removal of stones and some metal scraps, each
soil sample was packed into its own secure
water tight polythene bag to prevent cross
contamination and was carried to
Environmental laboratory at Center for energy
research and training, Ahmadu Bello University,
Zaria for analysis.
Sample preparation and analysis
(Experimental)
The soil samples were left open in the laboratory
for about one week to dry under ambient
temperature to ensure complete removal of any
residual moisture. The dried samples were then
pulverized into a fine powder and passed
through a standard mesh (200µm). The
homogenized samples were filled into 25g
plastic containers which were hermetically
sealed with the aid of PVC tape to prevent the
escape ofairborne 222Rn and 220Rn from the
samples. All samples were weighed and stored
for 28 days prior to measurement in order to
attain radioactive secular equilibrium between
parent and their short lived progeny (>7 half-
lives of 222Rn and 220Rn). Thereafter, each sample
was placed in 7.62 by 7.62cm NaI (TI) detector
optically coupled to a photomultiplier tube
(PMT).the detector has pulse resolving time of
about 0.25s which permits its use for high
counting rates. The assembly has an
incorporated preamplifier and a one- kilovolt
external source. The detector is enclosed in a
Katsina Journal of Natural and Applied Science
6cm lead shield lined with cadmium and copper
sheets in order to minimize the effects of
background and scattered radiation. A
computer based multichannel analyzer Maestro
programme from Ortee was used for data
acquisition and analysis of gamma spectra.
The standards used were the IAEA gamma
spectrometric reference materials RGK-1 for K-
40, RGU -1 for Ra-226 (Bi-214 peak) and RG Th -
1 for Th-232 (TI-208). Calibration for energy and
efficiency were carried out with two calibration
sources Cs-137 and Co-60 with an amplifier gain
that gives energy resolution for the 661.6keV of
Cs – 137 and 1173.2keV and 1332.5keV of Co-60.
Due to provision of significant detector
shielding, radioactive contaminants within the
materials of the detector assembly and its
shielding become main sources of the
background radiation level of the detector, the
background spectrum were obtained for
29000sec and each of the samples were also
counted for the same time. The 1764keV ϒ- line
of 214Bi was used in the assessment of the
activity concentration of 226Ra while 2614.5keV
ϒ– line of 208Tl was used for 232Th. The single
1460keV ϒ – line of 40K will be used in its
content evaluation. Maestro software was used
to acquire the net counts for each sample and
the background. The net number of counts
under each photo peak of interest was then
background subtracted using the time correct
spectrum taken using the blank container. The
net count was converted to activity
concentration using equation1.
𝐴𝑐𝑡𝑖𝑣𝑖𝑡𝑦 𝑅𝑎, 𝑇𝑕, 𝐾 =
𝐶𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑 (𝑅𝑎 ,𝑇𝑕,𝐾) 𝐵𝑞
𝐶𝑎𝑙𝑖𝑏𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑟 (𝑅𝑎 ,𝑇𝑕,𝐾) 𝑘𝑔 … … ….(1)
Dose Assessment (Theoretical)
Absorbed Dose Rate in Air (D)
In order to assess any radiological hazard, the
exposure to radiation arising from radionuclide
present in soil can be determined in terms of
many parameters. A direct connection between
radioactivity concentrations of natural
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VOL. 5 No. 2 September 2016 (ISSN: 2141-0755)
radionuclide and their exposure is known as the
absorbed dose rate in the air at 1 meter above
the ground surface. The mean activity
concentrations of 226Ra (238U), 232Th and 40K
(Bqkg-1) in the soil samples are used to calculate
the absorbed dose rate given by the following
formula (Chang et al; 2008 and Turhan and
Gundiz, 2008)
D (nGy/h) = 0.462ARa + 0.604ATh + 0.0417Ak
.(2)
Where D is the absorbed dose rate in nGyh-1 and
Akare the activity concentration of 226Ra (238U),
232Th and 40K, respectively. The dose coefficients
in units of nGyh-1per Bq.kg-1 were taken from
the UNSCEAR (2000).
Annual Effective dose Equivalent (AEDE)
The absorbed dose rate in air at 1 meter above
ground surface does not directly provide the
radiological risk to which an individual is
exposed (Jibiri et al., 2007). The absorbed dose
can be considered in terms of the annual
effective dose equivalent from outdoor
terrestrial gamma radiation which is converted
from the absorbed dose by taking into account
two factors, namely the conversion coefficient
from absorbed dose in air to effective dose and
the outdoor occupancy factor. The annual
effective dose equivalent can be estimated using
the following formula (UNSCEAR, 2000 and
Belivermis et al., 2010):
AEDE (µSv/y)=D(nGy/h)x 8760h x 0.7Sv/Gy x
10-3 .(3)
The values of those parameters used in the
UNSCEAR report (2000) are 0.7 Sv.Gy-1 for the
conversion coefficient from absorbed dose in air
to effective dose received by adults and 0.2 for
the outdoor occupancy factor (UNSCEAR, 2000).
Radium Equivalent Activity (Ra eq)
Due to a non-uniform distribution of natural
radionuclide in the soil samples, the actual
activity level of 226Ra, 226Th and 40K in the
Katsina Journal of Natural and Applied Science
sample can be evaluated by means of a common
radiological index named the radium equivalent
activity (Raeq) (Berretka and Mathew. 1985). It is
the widely used index to assess the radiation
hazards and be calculated using Equation4
given by Beretka and Mathew. This estimates
that 370 Bq.kg-1 of 226Ra, 259 Bq.kg-1 of 232Th and
4810 Bq.kg-1 of 40K produce the same gamma-ray
dose rate (Kurnaz et;2007 and Al-Hamarneh and
Awadallah, 2009).
Raeq = ARa + 1.43Th + 0.077Ak ……(4)
Where ARa, ATh and Ak are the activity
concentration of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in Bq.kg-1,
respectively. The permissible maximum value of
the radium equivalent activity is 370 Bq.kg-1
(UNSCEAR, 2000 and UNSCEAR, 1988) which
corresponds to an effective dose of 1 mSv for the
general public (Ajayi, 2009).
External and Internal Hazard Indices (Hex and
Hin)
To limit the radiation exposure attributable to
natural radionuclide in the sample to the
permissible dose equivalent limit of 1mSv.y-1,
the external hazard index based on a criterion
have been introduced using a model proposed
by Krieger (1981) which is given by (Kurnaz et
al., 2007, Al-Hamarney and Awadallah, 2009,
and Nada et al., 2009).
𝐴𝑅𝑎 𝐴𝑇𝑕 𝐴𝐾
Hex = + + ≤ 1…………(5)
370 259 4810
In order to keep the radiation hazard
insignificant, the value of external hazard index
must not exceed the limit of unity. The
maximum value of Hex equal to unity
corresponds to the upper limit of radium
equivalent activity 370 Bq.kg-1 (Al-Hamarneh
and Awadallah, 2009, Dragovic et al., 2006).
In addition to external hazard index, radon and
its short –lived products are also hazardous to
the respiratory organs. So, the internal to radon
and its daughter products is quantified by the
internal hazard index H in which is given by;
𝐴𝑅𝑎 𝐴𝑇𝑕 𝐴𝐾
Hin = + + ≤ 1…………..(6)
185 259 4810
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VOL. 5 No. 2 September 2016 (ISSN: 2141-0755)
Gamma Index
The representative level of gamma index is (I)
was calculated using the following equation
(UNSCEAR, 2000):
I = 0.0033ARa + 0.005ATh + 0.0005Ak ..(7)
According to UNSCEAR (2000), for radiological
effects to be considered negligible, the values of
each of gamma Index must be less than one.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Activity concentrations of U-238(Ra-226), Th-
232, and K-40.
The values of specific activity of the naturally
occurring radioactive materials U-238, Th-232
and K-40 in the soil samples collected from the
dumpsite has been presented in a histogram
displayed in figure1,2 and 3 respectively. The
specific activity of K-40, Ra-226 and Th-232
ranged from 15.552 to 271.073Bq/kg, 11.819 to
51.796Bq/kg and 21.779 to 351.234Bq/kg with
mean values of 104.450Bq/kg,27.723Bq/kg and
50.311Bq/kg respectively. The mean specific
activity of the control area soil samples were
130.405Bq/kg, 26.970Bq/kg and 33.124Bq/kg
for K-40, Ra-226 and Th-232 respectively. The
mean specific activity of K-40 in the dumpsite
was found to be 20% lower than that of the
control area which could be attributed to the use
of fertilizer that was prevalent in the control site
due to farming activities. The mean specific
activities of Ra-226 and Th-232 in the dumpsite
were found to be 3% and 34% respectively
higher than that of the control area.
Furthermore, the mean specific activities of the
radionuclides were compared with the world
wide mean values of 400, 35, and 30Bq/kg for K-
40, Ra-226 and Th-232 respectively as presented
in table 1(UNSCEAR, 2000).The mean specific
activities of K-40 and Ra-226 in both the target
and control areas were below the world median
values of 400Bq/kg,35Bq/kg and 30Bq/kg for
K-40, Ra-226 and Th-232 respectively. The mean
Katsina Journal of Natural and Applied Science VOL. 5 No. 2 September 2016 (ISSN: 2141-0755)

specific activity of Th-232 for both the dumpsite
and the control site were higher than the world
mean values. This indicated that the dumpsite
has not radiologically impacted on the soil and
the recorded specific activities can be attributed
to the underlying geology.
Assessment of Radiological Hazard
The Hazard indices presented under theoretical
considerations have been computed from the
measured specific activity of the three
primordial radionuclides in the soil samples. the
values of these radiological hazard indices show
that radium equivalent activity ranged from
55.516Bq/kg to 523.381Bq/kg with a mean value
of 107.7111Bq/kg. The mean values of gamma
index level (I), External and internal hazard
indices were 0.378, 0.291 and 0.366 respectively.
Furthermore, the mean absorbed dose rate was
calculated to be 47.552nGy/h while the mean
Annual effective dose was estimated at
58.317µSv/y.

Plate1: The plate showing the studied dumpsite in a higher altitude as compared to the water way link.

Table1: Comparison between the average activity concentrations of Ra-226, Th-232 and K-40 in the
dumpsite and control area with the world wide mean.

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Katsina Journal of Natural and Applied Science VOL. 5 No. 2 September 2016 (ISSN: 2141-0755)

Activity concentration(Bq/kg)
Sample Depth Ra-226 Th-232 K-40
1 27.694 44.774 84.31
2 23.626 76.464 83.496
3 32.252 35.424 147.835
4 21.321 44.584 102.16
Mean(This work Dumpsite) 27.723 50.311 104.450
Mean(This work Control Area) 26.970 33.124 130.405
World wide
Range 17-60 11-64 140-850
Mean 35 30 400

Fig1: Histogram representing the activity concentration of K-40 in the dumpsite soil samples.

Ra-226
60
Specific activity (Bq/kg)

50
40
30
20
Ra-226
10
0
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35
Sample Number

Fig2: Histogram representing the activity concentration of Ra-226 in the dumpsite soil samples.

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Katsina Journal of Natural and Applied Science
Fig3: Histogram representing the activity concentration of Th-232 in the dump site soil samples.
CONCLUSION
Soil samples from Dana steel limited dump site
have been analyzed using sodium iodide
Thallium activated Gamma spectroscopy. The
activity concentrations of Th-232, U-232 and K-
40 obtained were used to determine some
radiometric parameters. The equivalent dose
rate calculated using the gamma spectroscopy
results were all below 1mSv/year threshold for
members of public. Based on these findings the
radiological risk posed by these wastes in the
dump site area and the ecosystem are minimal.
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