Title: Assessment of excess lifetime cancer risk and radioactive heat production from waste dumpsites in three cities in Southwestern Nigeria

Authors: E.B. Faweya; G.E. Adesakin; H.T. Akande; G.O. Olowomofe; T. Adewumi; G.S. Agunbiade

Addresses: Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Ekiti State University, P.M.B 5363, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria ' Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Ekiti State University, P.M.B 5363, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria ' Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Ekiti State University, P.M.B 5363, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria ' Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Ekiti State University, P.M.B 5363, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria ' Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Federal University, Nasarawa, Nigeria ' Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Ekiti State University, P.M.B 5363, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria

Abstract: Radiation exposures at various dumpsites around three cities located in southwest Nigeria were assessed by gamma ray spectroscopy using a highly shielded Canberra NaI (Tl) detector. The average activity concentrations obtained for ⁴⁰K were 535 ± 65, 430 ± 78, 471 ± 72 and 410 ± 29, 270 ± 84, 371 ± 27 Bq kg⁻¹; the mean concentrations of ²²⁶Ra were 66 ± 4, 47 ± 3, 11 ± 1 and 57 ± 10, 49 ± 13, 59 ± 17 Bq kg⁻¹; while the mean concentrations of ²³²Th were 55 ± 19, 29 ± 8, 13 ± 2 and 29 ± 3, 21 ± 5, 41 ± 12 Bq kg⁻¹ for designated and undesignated sites in Abeokuta, Akure and Osogbo respectively. The highest mean absorbed dose rate obtained was 86 ± 17 nGy h⁻¹. The total excess lifetime cancer risk ranged from 1.28 to 3.22 × 10⁻³ which is relatively higher than the world average.

Keywords: excess lifetime cancer risk; gammarays; hazard; heat; soils; waste.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLR.2018.098258

International Journal of Low Radiation, 2018 Vol.11 No.1, pp.23 - 44

Received: 15 Sep 2017
Accepted: 24 Jan 2018
Published online: 07 Mar 2019 *

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