Assessment of Terrestrial Radionuclides

The concentrations of natural and artificial radionuclides in soil samples collected from the different areas of Chittagong City Corporation were measured by using Gamma ray Spectrometry of High Purity Germanium (HPGe) detector. The concentration of Uranium was found to be in the range 25.66 ± 5.48 Bq/Kg to 48.87 ± 6.00 Bq/Kg with an average value of 39.11 ± 5.77 Bq/Kg, the activity concentration of Thorium was found to be in the range of 27.12 ± 7.07 Bq/Kg to 64.71 ± 7.95 Bq/Kg with an average value of 45.65 ± 7.48 Bq/Kg , and the activity concentration of Potassium was found to be in the range of 293.81 ± 75.36 Bq/Kg to 637.49 ± 81.88 Bq/Kg with an average value of 430.56 ± 76.79 Bq. Kg -1. The level of natural radioactivity in the region has been compared with the other areas of the world and the world average. In the soil samples, the overall activity concentration of Uranium and Potassium has been found to be higher than that of the world average and the activity concentration of Thorium has been found to be near to the world average and the activity concentration. The artificial radionuclide Caesium has not been detected in the samples.