Natural radionuclide and 137Cs activity concentration in soils of the Brazilian State of Sergipe and their correlation with environmental characteristics

Luiz Cavalcante Ferreira; Amanda Alves da Silva; Fernando Carlos Araujo Ribeiro; Wanderson de Oliveira Sousa; Wagner Chaves Costa; Sueli Alexandra de Mesquista; Eduardo Paim Viglio

doi:10.15392/2319-0612.2024.2525

Authors

Luiz Cavalcante Ferreira Instituto de Radioproteção e Dosimetria
Amanda Silva bPrograma de Pós-graduação em Engenharia Ambiental, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ
Fernando Ribeiro Instituto de Radioproteção e Dosimetria https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6113-8001
Wanderson Sousa Instituto de Radioproteção e Dosimetria
Wagner Chaves Instituto de Radioproteção e Dosimetria
Sueli Mesquita Institute of Radiation Protection and Dosimetry
Eduardo Viglio Serviço Geológico do Brasil

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15392/2319-0612.2024.2525

Keywords:

natural radionuclides, soil radioactivity mapping, external dose

Abstract

Radionuclides occur naturally in the environment, exposing living organisms to ionizing radiation. In addition, human activities have introduced artificial radionuclides such as ¹³⁷Cs, among others, into the environment. To better understand the occurrence and behaviour of radionuclides in soil, several countries have developed radiological studies and constructed maps. An effort has been made in Brazil to assess the radioactivity in the soils of the country. In this study, the activity concentrations of natural radionuclides ⁴⁰K, ²²⁶Ra and ²²⁸Ra, and artificial ¹³⁷Cs were determined in samples at a depth of 20 cm collected from the soils of the Brazilian State of Sergipe, in a regular grid of 25 km x 25 km. Samples were analysed by gamma-ray spectrometry with the use of hyperpure germanium detectors. The results were correlated with the type of soil, geology, and climate characteristics of the State. The median activity concentrations of ⁴⁰K, ²²⁶Ra, and ²²⁸Ra were 210.4 Bq.kg^-1, 12.33 Bq.kg^-1, and 18.69 Bq.kg^-1, respectively. The results are lower than those reported for soils from other Brazilian States in the same region. The activity concentration of ¹³⁷Cs was lower than the minimum detectable activity. The activity concentration of ⁴⁰K in young soils of the semi-arid region was higher than that found in most weathered soils of the rainy regions due to the very low pluviometry of the semi-arid area. Higher activity levels of ²²⁶Ra were found in Planosol and for ²²⁸Ra it was found in the weathered soils (Acrisol) of the coastal zone. Maps of the distribution of the studied radionuclides were designed. The median value of the outdoor absorbed dose rate in air (Dnat) calculated for the soils of the State of Sergipe is lower when compared with other Brazilian States and the UNSCEAR’s worldwide median value.

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Author Biography

Fernando Ribeiro, Instituto de Radioproteção e Dosimetria

Engenheiro Agrônomo pela Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Mestre e Doutor em Radioproteção e Dosimetria, área de concentração Radioecologia, pelo Instituto de Radioproteção e Dosimetria (IRD) da Comissão Nacional de Energia Nuclear (CNEN). É professor permanente do Programa de pós-graduação em Radioproteção e Dosimetria (Stricto sensu) do IRD. Pesquisador da Comissão Nacional de Energia Nuclear, atuou na Divisão de Técnicas Analíticas e Nucleares do Centro Regional de Ciências Nucleares do Norte e Nordeste (CRCN-NE). Desde 2010 atua no Instituto de Radioproteção e Dosimetria (IRD), da CNEN, no Rio de Janeiro. Membro Sociedade Brasileira de Ciência do Solo (SBCS) e membro e diretor (2022) de radiação natural da Sociedade Brasileira de Proteção Radiológica (SBPR). É editor associado da Brazilian Journal of Radiation Sciences (BJRS). Tem experiência na área de Agricultura, Meio Ambiente e Solos com ênfase em Radioecologia, Geoquímica de elementos radioativos e Espectrometria Gama, atuando principalmente nos seguintes temas: comportamento de radionuclídeos naturais e artificiais no meio ambiente, estudos de absorção de radionuclídeos por vegetais e monitoração radiológica ambiental.

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