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All living creatures in nature are constantly exposed to ionising radiation, which is emitted from natural and artificial radiation sources. For this reason, it is important to monitor the levels of radioactivity in living spaces and visited areas. In this study, natural (238U, 232Th, 40K) and artificial (137Cs) radioactivity concentrations in sediment samples taken from Borçka Black Lake located on the Nature Park in Artvin province were determined using a high purity germanium detector (HPGe). It was determined that 238U, 232Th, 40K and 137Cs radioisotope concentrations in the sediment samples varied between 8.73 and 26.45, 7.01 and 22.98, 289.92 and 578.98, and 6.26 and 70.96 Bq kg−1, respectively. Mean radioactivity concentrations were found to be 14.99 ± 0.89 Bq kg−1 for 238U, 13.85 ± 1.10 Bq kg−1 for 232Th, 473.67 ± 14.21 Bq kg−1 for 40K and 35.06 ± 0.96 Bq kg−1 for 137Cs. In order to evaluate the radiological hazards, radium equivalent activity, external hazard index, absorbed dose rate in the air, the annual effective dose rate and excess life time cancer risk were calculated and compared with the values recommended by international organisations. As a result, it has been shown with this study that the radioactivity caused by the examined radioisotopes will not pose any health risk for the visitors of Borçka Black Lake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural and artificial radionuclide concentrations were determined and evaluated in 12 different medicinal plants used in Rize Province of Turkey. The levels of 226Ra, 232Th, 40K and 137Cs were specified in medicinal plants and a germanium detector with high-purity was used for these measurements. Mean activity values of 226Ra, 232Th, 40K and 137Cs in medicinal plants were obtained to be 4.48, 1.83, 259.2 and 0.70 Bq kg‒1, respectively. The obtained values were compared with the values reached in similar studies conducted in different countries. All activity values of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K determined in the present study were found to be lower than the worldwide mean values. In addition, the following radiological parameters were determined in medicinal plants and compared with the recommended limits: radium equivalent activity (Raeq), annual gonadal dose equivalent (AGDE), absorbed gamma dose rate (D), exposure rate (ER), gamma representative level index (RLI), annual effective dose (AED), and excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR). Pearson correlation coefficients were determined to assess the correlations between radioactive variables in medicinal plants. The radiological values determined in this study are within the recommended safety limit and the medicinal plants do not pose any significant radiological risk to human health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All ceramic products used in the construction of buildings contain natural radioisotopes at various rates. These radioisotopes are the main source of outdoor radiation to which people living in houses or workplaces are exposed. Therefore, it is important to determine the radioactivity levels in ceramic products used in buildings. In this study, the natural radioactivity levels (226Ra, 232Th and 40K) in forty ceramic sanitary ware products (17 closets and 23 sinks) of twelve different brands produced in Turkey were determined using a high-purity germanium detector (HPGe). In order to evaluate the radiological hazards originating from natural radionuclides of examined ceramic sanitary ware samples, radium equivalent activity (Raeq), gamma index (Iγ), external hazard index (Hex), absorbed dose rate (D), annual effective dose (AED) and excess life time cancer risk (ELCR) values were also calculated. The average activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K radionuclides in the investigated ceramic sanitary ware products were found as 35.47 ± 2.35, 48.80 ± 2.53, 230.44 ± 10.49 Bq/kg for closet samples and 34.64 ± 2.34, 51.25 ± 2.61, 256.23 ± 10.95 Bq/kg for sink samples, respectively. These values are less than the world average values (50, 50, 500 Bq/kg) except for the average 232Th concentration of sink samples. The average of radiological hazard parameters (Raeq, Iγ, Hex, D, AEDE and ELCR) calculated for all ceramic sanitary ware samples were found lower than the limit values recommended by international organisations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric dust samples were collected using PM10 (particulate matter less than 10 µm) and PM2.5 (particulate matter less than 2.5 µm) filters in 2019 from Southeast Anatolia, Turkey. The direction and source of the dust were determined using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite view and Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model. X-ray diffraction (XRD) has shown the presence of calcite and quartz as major components of the aerosol dust. The albedo parameters of atmospheric dust were experimentally determined for 59.54 keV photons emitted from an Am-241 source. Compton and coherent scattered peaks were acquired with a high purity germanium detector. The sample collected in May has a higher density than in June. The sample density at PM10 is larger than PM2.5 and the density of 23 June 2019 is smaller than for the other dates. The albedo parameters of the filter in June and May for PM10 are greater than those of PM2.5. The dust of larger particles is more reflected by the high-energy photons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The radioactivity levels in soil samples of Bolu province of north-western Turkey have been determined. There has been no information about radioactivity measurement reported in soil samples in Bolu province so far. For this reason, the activity concentrations of natural and artificial radionuclides (226Ra, 232Th, 40K, and 137Cs) were measured in soil samples collected from 40 different points in Bolu province of north-western Turkey using gamma spectrometry technique with a high-purity germanium detector. The average activity concentrations (range) of 226Ra, 232Th, 40K, and 137Cs were found to be 18.2 (3.8–49.9) Bq/kg, 17.3 (4.1–37.9) Bq/kg, 258.3 (64.6–518.9) Bq/kg, and 7.5 (0.6–43.6) Bq/kg, respectively. At the end of the analysis, the radioactivity values were lower than the world average values reported by United Nations Scientific Committee on Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR). In order to evaluate the radiological hazards resulting from natural radioactivity, radium equivalent activity (Raeq), gamma index (Iγ), external hazard index (Hex), absorbed dose rate in air (D), annual gonadal dose rate (AGDE), the annual effective dose rate (AEDE), and excess life time cancer risk (ELCR) were calculated and found in the range of 14.8–129.8 Bq/kg, 0.1–0.5, 0.0–0.4, 7.0–60.2 nGy/h, 49.8–417.5 µSv/y, 8.6–73.8 µSv/y, and 0.3 × 10−4 to 2.6 × 10−4, respectively. These results were compared with recommended values (370 Bq/kg for Raeq, <1 for Iγ, <1 for Hex, 55 nGy/h for D, 300 µSv/y for AGDE, 70 µSv/y for AEDE, and 2.9 × 10−4 for ELCR) by European Commission (EC), UNSCEAR and International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). As a result, health hazards originated by natural radiation from soil samples of the Bolu province is low and insignificant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]