Assessment of Background Radiations in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria
Keywords:
Background radiation, Alpha rays, bata rays, Gamma radiationAbstract
Background radiation is everywhere and investigating the amount present in the background, surroundings and environment is essential to research and public health concerns. Humans experience it daily due to both natural and artificial incidents. These incidents include cosmic radiation, internal radiation, terrestrial radiation, nuclear events and medical operations. This research covered the investigation of two area councils, Gwagwalada and Kwali Area Councils in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory, Nigeria. Field exploration and data sampling dose rate were conducted at 11 locations which are the University of Abuja Mini Campus (8.9530N, 7.0730E), Gwagwalada Market (8.9417°N, 7.0775°E), Phase III Dumpsite (8.9637°N, 7.0646°E), Landfill @ Sharia Court (8.96175°N, 7.0816°E), University of Abuja Mini Campus- Boys Hostel (8.9453°N, 7.0703°E), Old Kutunku (8.9302°N, 7.0503°E), Kwali (8.8401°N, 7.0525°E), Yangoji (8.8208°N, 7.0341°E), Tunga Sarki (8.82079°N, 7.03408°E), Tongan Sanki Health Post (8.8249°N, 6.9484°E) and Tunga Galadima (8.8079°N, 6.9209°E). The average dose rate of the overall natural background radiations in Gwagwalada and Kwali Area Councils was 0.32±0.09µSv/hr, even though in places like Yangoji (0.42±0.11µSv/hr) and Tunga Sarki (0.45±0.13µSv/hr) which are in Kwali Area Council, have higher average dose rate than the average overall for the two area councils. This dose rate of 0.32±0.09 µSv/hr indicates a low level of radiation exposure. However, this level of radiation is slightly higher than typical background radiation, which is usually around 0.1 to 0.2µSv/hr, but it is still within a range considered safe for long-term exposure.
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