Abstract
This study assesses the level of background radiation for Canakkale province of northwestern Turkey. Radon concentrations in indoor air were determined using CR-39 nuclear track detectors and 222Rn activity was found to be 167 Bq m − 3 (equivalent to an annual effective dose of 4.2 mSv). Measurements of outdoor gamma radiation (of terrestrial and cosmic origin) in air were performed using plastic scintillators, and the average absorbed gamma dose rate was found to be 66.4 nGy h − 1 (corresponding to an annual effective dose of 81.4 μSv). The radionuclide activity concentrations in soil samples collected from the study area were measured through gamma-ray spectrometry, and the average activities were determined as 94.55, 110.4, and 1,273 Bq kg − 1 for the natural radionuclides 238U, 232Th, and 40K, respectively, and 19.39 Bq kg − 1 for the fission product 137Cs. The natural radioactivity sources resulted in an annual effective dose of 184 μSv. The radioactivity levels of drinking water samples were measured as 0.0599 Bq l − 1 for gross-alpha activity and 0.0841 Bq l − 1 for gross-beta activity using a low-background counting technique (equivalent to an annual effective dose of 12.25 μSv). The results of this study show that the activity levels of radon in air, radionuclides in soil, and alpha activities in drinking water are higher compared to the data available for other Turkish cities and the world averages. On the other hand, the outdoor gamma dose rates in air and beta activities in drinking water are within natural limits.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Explore related subjects
Discover the latest articles, news and stories from top researchers in related subjects.Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Bozkurt, A., & Kam, E. (2007). Indoor radon measurement in the city of Edirne, Turkey. In Sixth international conference of the Balkan physical union, CP899, (pp. 395–396).
Bozkurt, A., Yorulmaz, N., Kam, E., Karahan, G., & Osmanlioglu, A. E. (2007). Assessment of environmental radioactivity for Sanliurfa region of Southeastern Turkey. Radiation Measurements, 42(8), 1387–1391.
Damla, N., Cevik, U., Karahan, G., & Kobya, A. I. (2006). Gross alpha and beta activities in tap waters in Eastern Black Sea region of Turkey. Chemosphere, 62, 957–960.
Environmental Status Report (2004). Provincial directorate of environment and forestry. Canakkale, Turkey.
Erees, F. S., & Yener, G. (1999). Radon levels in new and old buildings. In C. Baumstarks-Khan, et al. (Eds.), Fundamentals for the assessment of risks from environmental radiation (pp. 65–68). Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic.
Erees, F. S., Akozcan, S., Parlak, Y., & Cam, S. (2006). Assessment of dose rates around Manisa (Turkey). Radiation Measurements, 41, 598–601.
Kam, E., & Bozkurt, A. (2007). Environmental radioactivity measurements in Kastamonu region of northern Turkey. Applied Radiation and Isotopes, 65, 440–444.
Karahan, G., & Bayulken, A. (2000). Assessment of gamma dose rates around Istanbul (Turkey). Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, 47, 213–221.
Karahan, G., Ozturk, N., & Bayulken, A. (2000). Natural radioactivity in various surface waters in Istanbul, Turkey. Water Research, 34(18), 4367–4370.
Koksal, E. M., Celebi, N., Ataksor, B., Ulug, A., Tasdelen, M., Kopuz, G., et al. (2004). A survey of 222Rn concentrations in dwellings of Turkey. Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, 259, 213–216.
Merdanoglu, B., & Altinsoy, N. (2006). Radioactivity concentrations and dose assessment for soil samples from Kestanbol granite area, Turkey. Radiation Protection Dosimetry, 121, 399–405.
Osmanlioglu, A. E., Kam, E., & Bozkurt, A. (2007). Assessment of background radioactivity level for Gaziantep region of Southeastern Turkey. Radiation Protection Dosimetry, 24(4), 407–410.
TAEK (1988). Radioactivity and radiation measurements after the Chernobyl accident. Reports of the Turkish Atomic Energy Commission, Ankara, Turkey.
Thorne, M. C. (2003). Background radiation: Natural and man-made. Journal of Radiological Protection, 23, 29–42.
UNSCEAR (2000). Sources and effects of ionizing radiation. In Report of the United Nations scientific committee on the effects of atomic radiation to the general assembly. New York: United Nations.
WHO (2004). Guidelines for drinking-water quality, 3rd Edn. Geneva: World Health Organization.
Yarar, Y., & Kam, E. (2005). Environmental radioactivity concentrations of Tekirdag. International Congress Series, 1276, 387–389.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10661-010-1409-4
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kam, E., Bozkurt, A. & Ilgar, R. A study of background radioactivity level for Canakkale, Turkey. Environ Monit Assess 168, 685–690 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-009-1143-y
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-009-1143-y