Determination of radioactivity levels in soil samples of Recep Tayyip Erdogan University campus in Rize province

Abstract

Recep Tayyip Erdogan University Zihni Derin Campus, situated at the Eastern Black Sea Region of Turkey, in the province of Rize, was established on a land area of approximately 3.254.430.28 m². It was found that tea, which was thought to be affected by radiation after the nuclear accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, was buried in sacks in this area, which was used as a tea factory before. Therefore, it is crucial to determine the radiation levels in the campus area. In this study, the quantities of artificial (137Cs), and natural (226Ra, 232Th, and 40K) radionuclides, were assessed using a high purity germanium detector (HPGe) in 15 soil samples collected from the Zihni Derin Campus of Recep Tayyip Erdogan University in Rize. For 226Ra, 232Th, 40K and 137Cs the activity values of soil samples varied from 43.78 to 62.58, 29.85 to 41.61, 132.48 to 346.44 and 3.90 to 202.94 Bq kg-1, respectively. Upon comparison with the average global values provided by the UNSCEAR (2000), it was observed that the mean activity values for 226Ra and 232Th in the soil samples were higher. Conversely, the average activity concentrations for 40K and 137Cs were found to be lower than the world average values reported by UNSCEAR (2000). Furthermore, radiological hazard indexes were calculated and compared with internationally acceptable values. This research demonstrates that there are no health concerns for individuals exposed to the soil samples in the study area.