Mapping of natural radioactivity in soil samples of Badra oil field project using GIS program

Abstract

The study focuses on measuring the values of 238U, 232Th and 40K natural radionuclides in soil samples in Badra oil field area (Iraq). Also, the radiological risk data were calculated for all samples in this study. The technique used in this study was gamma-ray spectrometry with NaI(Tl) detector. The averages of specific activity are: 24.7 Bq/kg for 238U, 13.6 Bq/kg for 232Th, and 538.9 Bq/kg for 40K. Besides, the estimations of radiological effects like the radium equivalent (Raeq), the absorbed dose rate (Dr), external hazard index (Hex), internal hazard index (Hin), representative gamma hazard index (Iγ) and the total annual effective dose equivalent (AEDE) are 85.5 Bq/kg, 42.1 nGy/h, 0.23, 0.30, 0.66 and 0.26 mSv/y, respectively. When comparing the results in the study area with the world mean values specified by the UNSCEAR, OCDE and ICRP, the study terminates that the limits of health risk are safe and may not menace the workers at these locations due to these radionuclide limits. The values were subjected to GIS environment under the WGS1984 coordinate system for the sake of results' coordination, and processed in Inverse Distance Weighted interpolation as the best processing.

Keywords

• natural radioactivity
• Badra oil field
• geographic information system (GIS)
• gamma ray spectroscopy.