Natural radioactivity and associated dose rates in soil samples from Kalpakkam, South India

The activity concentration of naturally occurring radioactive elements such as 226Ra, 232Th and 40K were measured for 46 soil samples collected in the vicinity of the Madras atomic power station, Kalpakkam, South India using gamma-ray spectroscopy. The average activity concentration of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in soil samples were found to be 22.6 ± 12.6, 92.8 ± 44.3 and 434.1 ± 131.1 Bq kg(-1), respectively. The activity concentration of natural radionuclides is higher than the world average except for (226)Ra. The external absorbed gamma dose rates due to 226Ra, 232Th and 40K are observed to be 74.6 ± 30.8 nGy h(-1) with a corresponding annual effective dose of 91.5 ± 37.8 µSv y(-1), which are also above the world average. The values of radium equivalent activity and external hazard index are less than the world average. Whereas, the values of the radioactivity level index (I(γ)) and the total gamma dose rate were found to be above the required criterion.