Analysis of Radioactive Materials in Environmental Samples from Some Mining Sites in Gummi LGA, Zamfara State, Nigeria

This study determines the radioactivity concentration in soil, water, and vegetation samples from mining sites in Gummi LGA, Zamfara State. Thirty samples of soil, water and vegetation were collected in a stratified random sampling by proportion. Analysis of gamma-ray spectroscopy was conducted on the samples via the High Purity Germanium (HPGe) detector system at the Center of Advanced Studies in Physics (CASP), (GCU) Lahore, Pakistan. The activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K were obtained in 1 Bqkg  and 1 Bql  respectively. Radiological parameters such as Raeq , DEff , DAbs., Hexand Hin were calculated to determine the radiological hazards exposure to the inhabitants in proximity to the mining sites. The mean activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in the soil were 80.54, 57.36 and 509.54 1 Bqkg  . 33.61, 21.28 and 60.34 1 Bql  in water, and 17.74, 17.27 and 42.34 1 Bqkg  in vegetation samples. These results were found above global limits of 35.02, 45.03 and 420.12 1 Bqkg  and 1 Bql  for 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in soil and water respectively. The mean Raeq were 201.80, 111.19 and 89.58 in 1 Bqkg  and 1 Bql  for soil, water and vegetation samples. The mean values of Hexand Hin were 0.55, 0.76 for soil, 0.30, 0.39 for water and 0.24 and 0.29 for vegetation samples. The mean values of DAbs. and DEff were 93.10 and 114.18 for soil, 53.92 and 66.12 for water and 44.16 and 54.16 for vegetation samples. This study has obtained a baseline result which indicates a fair elevation of exposure to hazards from natural radioactivity. Hence, efforts are encouraged to ensure the safety of inhabitants in the mining localities.