Paper Details

Name: CG Poojitha, Prathima M N & BS Rohini
Country: India

Year: 2025
Volume: Volume No: 12, Issue No: 2, Year: 2025 (Specials Issue -2)
Page Number: 40-44
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17921385

ABSTRACT
This study evaluated the activity concentrations of naturally occurring radionuclides—
uranium-238 (²³⁸U), thorium-232 (²³²Th), and potassium-40 (⁴⁰K)—in agricultural soils from
Kanakapura Taluk, Ramanagara District, Karnataka, India. Fifteen soil samples were
collected from different agricultural locations and analyzed using a NaI(Tl) gamma-ray
spectrometer. The mean activity concentrations were found to be 29 ± 1.4 Bq/kg for ²³⁸U, 45
± 2.0 Bq/kg for ²³²Th, and 390 ± 15 Bq/kg for ⁴⁰K. The mean absorbed dose rate was 52 ± 3.0
nGy/h, and the corresponding outdoor annual effective dose equivalent (AEDE) was 0.06 ±
0.01 mSv/y, both below the global averages reported by UNSCEAR (2000). The calculated
radiological hazard indices were within the permissible limits, indicating that the soils pose
no significant radiological health risk to farmers or residents. The results provide baseline
data for natural background radiation in agricultural soils of Kanakapura, aiding future
environmental monitoring and radiation safety assessments in southern Karnataka.
Keywords: Natural radioactivity, Gamma spectrometry, Agricultural soils, Uranium,
Thorium, Potassium, Kanakapura, Karnataka