Evaluation of Natural Radioactivity Levels in Drinking Water Sources: A Case Study from Gambella Town, Ethiopia
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Abstract
Environmental materials containing radioactive elements derived from natural sources are referred to as naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM). These substances are widely distributed and can be found in the world's ocean, atmosphere, and crust. Using high-purity germanium (HPGe) gamma spectroscopy, this study evaluated the specific activity concentrations of three naturally occurring radionuclides: 40K, 232Th, and 238U, in five drinking water samples. These materials' characteristics for radiation danger were also computed. In the water samples, the mean specific activity concentrations of 238U, 232Th, and 40K were determined to be 11.3990.276 Bq L-1, 17.2830.759 BqL-1, and 123.630 BqL-1, respectively. Within safe global limits, the average radium equivalent activity and absorbed dose were 43.759 BqL-1 and 21.24 BqL-1, respectively. The mean values of the gamma index, internal hazard index, external hazard index, and yearly effective dose equivalent were 0.165, 0.122, 0.149, and 0.103, respectively, all below the global safety criteria. As a result, the town of Glabella’s water resources are safe and do not provide any health hazards to the locals.
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