Radiological Health Implications of Indoor Gamma Radiation Exposure in Akoko Area, Ondo State, Southwestern Nigeria.

Abstract

Exposure to gamma radiation is in varying quantity among the living creatures. Exposure due to gamma radiation inside homes and offices are indoor gamma radiation. In this study, a high performance Handheld Inspector 1000 Digital Multichannel Analyzer was used to measure indoor gamma dose rate in 19 communities in Akoko area of Ondo state, Nigeria. A total of 716 measurement points were covered in the area. Indoor gamma dose rate ranges between 0.03 to 0.25 µSvh-1 with a mean value of 0.103 ±0.02 µSvh-1 . The indoor annual effective dose varied between 0.484 to 1.009 mSvy-1 with a mean value of 0.723 mSvy-1. The excess cancer risk varied between 1.6923 x 10-3 to 3.532 x 10-3 with an average value of 2.529 x 10-3 . The values of the measured radiological parameters obtained in this research were observed to be within the recommended limit of 1 mSvy-1 dose limit for the general public. Therefore, the area is free from any health hazard due to radiation, and therefore, can be described as radiologically safe.