Title: Natural radioactivity level and evaluation of radiological hazard in the soil around a gold mining area in the North Region of Burkina Faso

Authors: Karim Kabore; Luc Telado Bambara; Inoussa Zongo; Ousmane Cisse; François Zougmore; Emmanuel Ofori Darko

Addresses: Laboratoire de Matériaux et Environnement (LAME), UFR/SEA, Université Ouaga 1 Pr Joseph Ki-Zerbo, 03 BP 7021 Ouagadougou 03, Burkina Faso ' Laboratoire de Matériaux et Environnement (LAME), UFR/SEA, Université Ouaga 1 Pr Joseph Ki-Zerbo, 03 BP 7021 Ouagadougou 03, Burkina Faso ' Institut de Recherche en Sciences Appliquées et Technologies (IRSAT), 03 BP 7047 Ouagadougou 03, Burkina Faso ' Laboratoire de Matériaux et Environnement (LAME), UFR/SEA, Université Ouaga 1 Pr Joseph Ki-Zerbo, 03 BP 7021 Ouagadougou 03, Burkina Faso ' Laboratoire de Matériaux et Environnement (LAME), UFR/SEA, Université Ouaga 1 Pr Joseph Ki-Zerbo, 03 BP 7021 Ouagadougou 03, Burkina Faso ' Radiation Protection Institute, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana

Abstract: The activity concentrations of natural radionuclides ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K in soil samples from the North Region of Burkina Faso around the mining site of Kalsaka were measured by gamma spectrometry using high purity germanium detector. Radiological hazard assessment due to such natural radioactivity was also investigated. The average activity concentration of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K were found to be 26.06 ± 1.50 Bq.kg^-1, 33.27 ± 1.97 Bq.kg^-1 and 133.11 ± 13.69 Bq.kg^-1 respectively. The average absorbed dose was 0.038 µGy/h whereas the annual committed effective dose was 0.050 ± 0.003 mSv.y^-1. The average radium equivalent activity concentration was 83.89 Bq.kg^-1. The external and internal hazard indices were 0.23 and 0.30 respectively which are three times less than one. The activity utilisation index was 0.6 Bq.kg^-1 with maximum of 0.79 Bq.kg^-1. The mean effective dose rate of 0.05 ± 0.003 mSv.y^-1 and the mean values of Ra_eq and H_ex and H_in for the studied area are below their respective permissible limits, thus indicating that radiation hazard is not significant in this area.

Keywords: activity concentration; uranium; thorium; potassium; natural radioactivity; soil; Burkina Faso.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGENVI.2022.126178

International Journal of Global Environmental Issues, 2022 Vol.21 No.2/3/4, pp.343 - 356

Accepted: 08 Oct 2021
Published online: 14 Oct 2022 *

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