Applied Radiation and Isotopes 65 (2007) 12811289

Determination of radioactivity levels and hazards of soil and sediment

samples in Frtna Valley (Rize, Turkey)
A. Kurnaz
a
, B. Ku c- u ko merog lu
a
, R. Keser
b
, N.T. Okumusoglu
b
,
F. Korkmaz
b
, G. Karahan
c
, U. C- evik
a,
a
Department of Physics, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, TR 61080, Turkey
b
Department of Physics, University of Rize, Rize, TR 53100, Turkey
c
C- ekmece Nuclear Research and Training Center P.O. Box 1, Atatu rk Airport, Istanbul, TR 34381, Turkey
Received 22 November 2006; received in revised form 25 May 2007; accepted 4 June 2007
Abstract
The natural radioactivity levels in soil and sediment samples of Frtna Valley have been determined. To our knowledge, there seems to
be no information about radioactivity level in the Frtna Valley soils and sediments so far. For this reason, soil and sediment samples
were collected along the Frtna Valley and analysis on the collected samples were carried out to determine
238
U,
232
Th,
40
K and
137
Cs
radioisotopes using high purity germanium detector. The activity concentrations obtained for
226
Ra,
214
Pb,
214
Bi,
228
Ac,
208
Tl,
40
K and
137
Cs are given in the unit of Bq/kg. The results have been compared with other radioactivity measurements in different countrys soils
and sediments. The radium equivalent activity (Ra
eq
), the absorbed dose rate (D), the external hazard index (H
ex
), the annual gonadal
dose equivalent (AGDE) and the annual effective dose equivalent (AEDE) were also calculated and compared with the international
recommended values.
r 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Soil and sediment; Natural radioactivity; HPGe detector; Frtna Valley; Turkey
1. Introduction
Since its existence in the environment that we live in,
every living creature is exposed to ionizing radiation. This
radiation is a part of the earth and comes from cosmos and
affects all the goods, food and even the air that we breathe
and makes them partly radioactive. So, human beings are
exposed to natural background radiation every day from
the ground, building materials, air, food, the universe, and
even elements in their own bodies. It is because of some
reasons that human and its environment are affected by
radioactivity, such as, natural radionuclides which are
present in soil and the atmosphere, nuclear weapon testing,
radioactive wastes and reactor accidents.
The terrestrial component of the natural background is
dependent on the compositions of the soils and rocks,
containing natural radionuclides. The radioactivity of soils
is essential for understanding changes in the natural
radiation background (Sroor et al., 2001; Chiozzi et al.,
2002). Soil contains small quantities of radioactive
elements U and Th along with their progeny. The main
sources of the external g-radiation are the radionuclides of
the U, Th series and
40
K. The natural radioactivity of soil
and sediment depends on the soil and sediment formation
and transport processes that were involved since soil and
sediment formation; chemical and biochemical interactions
inuence the distribution patterns of uranium, thorium and
their decay products (Myrick et al., 1983).
The Frtna River originates from the slopes of Kackar
Mountains and is discharged to the Eastern Black Sea, near
2km to Ardes-en town in the west of Rize. Frtna Valley
stands between 4117
0
40159
0
north latitudes and 40150
0
40157
0
east longitudes. In Frtna Valley, rainfall is mostly observed
during winter and fall. This place, especially the parts having
1500m height is covered with fog in almost every season of the
year. The highest and lowest temperatures were recorded to be
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doi:10.1016/j.apradiso.2007.06.001

Corresponding author. Tel.: +90 462 377 35 91;

fax: +90 462 325 31 95.
E-mail address: ugurc@ktu.edu.tr (U. C- evik).
38 and 71C, respectively, with the mean value of 141C.
Formed by a number of streams on the Black Sea side of
Kackar Mountains, the Frtna runs 60km long through
verdant countryside until it ows into the Black Sea. Frtna
Valley area is located in East Pondit zone. There are different
rock structures having different ages and lithologic features. As
shown in Fig. 1, the study area are consists of mainly volcanic
rocks such as basalts, andesites and granites (MTA, 1998).
The aim of this study is to determine natural (
238
U,
232
Th,
40
K) and articial (
137
Cs) radioactivity levels in soils
and sediments collected from different points in Frtna
Valley in Rize province of Turkey. Also, the average
radium equivalent activity (Ra
eq
), the total absorbed dose
rate (D), the external hazard index (H
ex
), the annual
gonadal dose equivalent (AGDE) and the annual effective
dose equivalent (AEDE) which will be dened later have
been calculated and compared with the results in literature.
The results of this study will provide background data on
the natural and articial radioactive isotopes and environ-
mental pollution.
2. Experimental procedure
The surface soil and sediment samples (at 015 cm depth
level) were collected at 1 km intervals along the Frtna
Valley area in the summer of 2003. While the soil samples
ARTICLE IN PRESS
Fig. 1. The location of sampling sites and geological map of Frtna Valley (MTA, 1998).
A. Kurnaz et al. / Applied Radiation and Isotopes 65 (2007) 12811289 1282
were collected from a distance of 320 m away from river
bank, the sediment samples were taken just near the river
bank of about 10100 cm. The sampling stations are given
in Fig. 1. Stone, grass and pieces of woods were manually
eliminated and lled into plastic bags (11.5 kg). After all
samples were dried at room temperature, samples were
pulverized by Retsch mill and sieved through a 100 mesh to
homogenize them. They were then weighed and transferred
to Marinelli beakers of 1000 ml volume. Each sample was
sealed for 30 days to reach radioactive equilibrium where
the decay rate of the daughters becomes equal to that of the
parent (Mollah et al., 1987). Sample preparation and all
radioactivity measurements were made in Cekmece Nucle-
ar Research and Training Center, Department of Health
Physics Counting Laboratory, Istanbul, Turkey. The
activities of
226
Ra,
214
Pb and
214
Bi in equilibrium with
their parents were assumed to represent the
238
U activity,
while the activities of
228
Ac and
208
Tl were assumed to
represent the
232
Th activity.
238
U and
232
Th activities were
calculated using average value of their progeny
226
Ra,
214
Pb,
214
Bi and
228
Ac,
208
Tl, respectively (Tzortzis et al.,
2003). Gamma spectrometry measurements were made
with a coaxial high purity Ge detector of 16% relative
efciency and resolution 1.9 keV at the 1332 keV gamma of
60
Co (Canberra, GC 1520 model). The detector was
shielded in a 10 cm thick lead well internally lined with
2 mm Cu and 2 mm Cd foils. The detector output was
connected to a spectroscopy amplier (Canberra, model
2022). The energy calibration and relative efciency
calibration of the spectrometer were carried out using
1000 ml Marinelli calibration sources which contain
241
Am,
109
Cd,
57
Co,
139
Ce,
203
Hg,
113
Sn,
85
Sr,
137
Cs,
88
Y and
60
Co
peaks for energy range between 80 and 2500 keV. The
counting time for each sample and background was
50.000 s. Gamma spectroscopy was used to determine the
activities of
238
U,
232
Th,
40
K and
137
Cs. The activity
concentrations of
232
Th and
238
U were calculated assuming
secular equilibrium with their decay products. The gamma
ray transitions of energies 186.3 keV (
226
Ra), 351.9 keV
(
214
Pb) and 609.3 keV (
214
Bi) were used to determine the
concentration of the
238
U series. The gamma-ray lines at
911.0 keV (
228
Ac) and 583.3 keV (
208
Tl) were used to
determine the concentration of the
232
Th series. The
1460 keV gamma-ray transition was used to determine
the concentration of
40
K. The 661.6 keV gamma transition
was used to determine the
137
Cs concentration. The activity
levels of the samples obtained for
226
Ra,
214
Pb,
214
Bi,
228
Ac,
208
Tl,
40
K and
137
Cs are expressed in Bq/kg.
3. Results and discussion
3.1. The activity concentrations of
238
U,
232
Th series,
40
K
and
137
Cs
Tables 1 and 2 show the dry weight activity concentra-
tions of the main gamma emitting radionuclides of the U
series, Th series,
40
K and
137
Cs in the soil and sediment
samples. The 7values of radioactivity concentrations
shown in Tables are because of the 1s variation due to
counting uncertainties. In soil samples, the average
concentrations of
238
U,
232
Th,
40
K and
137
Cs were found
to be 50, 42, 643, and 85 Bq/kg (dry weight), respectively.
The average concentrations of
238
U,
232
Th,
40
K and
137
Cs
were found to be 39, 38, 573, and 6 Bq/kg (dry weight) in
sediment samples, respectively. The worldwide concentra-
tions of the radionuclides
238
U,
232
Th, and
40
K have
averages in soil samples of 40, 40, and 580 Bq/kg,
respectively (UNSCEAR, 1993). Our results show that
the mean activity concentrations of these radionuclides are
comparable with the worldwide concentrations.
The concentrations of the above mentioned radio-
nuclides are compared with that of other authors for soil
and sediment in Tables 3 and 4, respectively. As shown in
Table 3, among the
238
U concentrations, while our
minimum (min) value is higher than min
238
U concentra-
tions of Turkey (Istanbul), Egypt, Algeria and Pakistan, is
lower than min
238
U concentrations of China, Pakistan and
Turkey (Canakkale). And also, our min
238
U concentration
is similar to values of Jordan, Bangladesh, Nigeria and
Turkey (Kocaeli). For max
238
U concentrations, while our
value is lower than that of China, it is higher than the
others. Among the
232
Th concentrations, while our value is
lower than Turkey (Canakkale), Pakistan and China, it is
higher than Algeria, Egypt, Bangladesh and Jordan. Also,
our min
232
Th value is similar to values of Turkey
(Kocaeli), Turkey (Istanbul), Nigeria and India. For max
40
K concentrations, the values of Turkey (Canakkale) and
Algeria are higher than our value and the value of Istanbul
is similar to ours. Among the concentrations of
137
Cs, our
max and min values are higher than the others.
Table 4 shows a comparison of radioactivity levels in
sediments with other areas of the world. As shown in Table
4, among the max
226
Ra concentrations, our value is higher
than the others except Spain and for max
238
U concentra-
tions our value is similar to Greece. Among the min
232
Th
concentrations, our value is similar to the others except
Portugal and Italy. Among the max
40
K concentrations,
while our value is similar to Greece, it is higher than the
others.
Figs. 2 and 3 show the distribution of
238
U,
232
Th,
40
K
and
137
Cs activity concentrations of soil and sediment
samples in Frtna Valley. The natural radionuclides
238
U,
232
Th and
40
K activities did not show a uniform distribu-
tion depending on radioactivity values of the rocks,
forming the geological structure of this region. As shown
in the map, the study area consists of rocks like granites,
andesites and basalts. Because of the geologic structure of
the region, there is not much difference between the
concentrations of natural radionuclides.
137
Cs does not exist in soil and sediment naturally. It is a
product of fallout radioactivity. The
137
Cs might have been
deposited in soil and sediment of Frtna Valley, presum-
ably as a result of the nuclear power plant accident at
Chernobyl on 26 April 1986. Moreover, measured
137
Cs
ARTICLE IN PRESS
A. Kurnaz et al. / Applied Radiation and Isotopes 65 (2007) 12811289 1283
A
R
T
I
C
L
E
I
N
P
R
E
S
S
Table 1
Radioactivity concentrations of
238
U series,
232
Th series,
40
K and
137
Cs in Bq/kg, as well as the calculated Ra equivalent, absorbed dose rates, external hazard index, annual gonadal dose equivalent and
annual effective dose rates in soil samples at Frtna Valley
Distance
from sea
(km)
238
U Series (Bq/kg)
232
Th Series (Bq/kg)
40
K (Bq/kg)
137
Cs
(Bq/kg)
D (nGy/h) Ra
eq
(Bq/kg)
H
ex
AGDE
(mSv/h)
AEDE
(mSv/year)
226
Ra
214
Pb
214
Bi
228
Ac
208
Tl
1 24.5970.98 20.0870.40 18.2370.36 20.7470.83 22.5670.68 462.3574.62 30.2971.21 46.13 91.15 0.24 311.66 52.9
4 47.4771.90 27.2370.54 24.7070.49 32.8171.31 34.8571.05 663.0976.63 33.6271.34 65.05 146.9 0.39 496.30 79.8
7 15.2970.61 16.2670.33 14.1370.28 18.7470.75 26.5670.80 214.1272.14 146.3575.85 30.70 64.17 0.17 209.15 37.6
11 22.4170.90 13.6270.27 13.1470.26 18.8470.75 22.1970.67 516.7575.17 18.5370.74 42.79 91.53 0.24 317.24 52.4
13 24.9671.00 13.7670.28 9.9470.20 10.2870.41 10.7070.32 280.8572.81 87.3073.49 25.95 61.58 0.16 209.16 31.8
16 17.4870.70 11.5670.23 8.9170.18 13.5170.54 13.9770.42 429.1474.29 36.8771.47 32.95 70.17 0.18 246.19 40.4
20 25.1271.00 16.2670.33 17.4470.35 24.1370.97 23.7970.71 295.6972.96 109.3974.38 36.95 82.15 0.22 270.62 45.3
22 16.8370.67 15.8270.32 15.2970.31 16.2370.65 16.7970.50 337.7573.38 92.9273.72 32.27 66.45 0.17 227.07 39.6
25 23.9270.96 16.5270.33 12.5870.25 18.0870.72 19.4670.58 426.7174.27 143.0775.72 38.32 83.62 0.22 286.36 46.9
28 17.8570.71 11.6670.23 11.2970.23 12.6070.50 13.9270.42 105.3571.05 89.0073.56 19.12 44.92 0.12 143.66 23.4
32 28.9571.16 15.0670.30 13.5370.27 15.7570.63 17.4170.52 378.2673.78 18.9570.76 35.43 81.78 0.22 272.53 43.4
35 126.6675.07 77.0771.54 63.9971.28 69.7672.79 71.8272.15 1033.12710.33 60.1272.40 129.39 307.44 0.83 1011.68 158.7
37 119.4274.78 80.3071.61 71.3671.43 73.3372.93 76.0972.28 989.6379.90 80.5273.22 130.59 302.46 0.81 992.03 160.1
41 97.5973.90 56.2971.13 42.7970.86 58.6472.35 59.7671.79 863.6278.64 232.4479.30 104.32 248.74 0.67 820.18 127.9
44 83.9073.36 54.5271.09 45.7870.92 50.9072.04 51.6871.55 1152.93711.53 59.9072.40 109.75 246.02 0.66 835.66 134.6
47 188.2677.53 93.1971.86 86.2471.72 86.6073.46 105.2373.16 784.9577.85 99.2173.97 149.58 385.85 1.04 1229.09 183.4
50 104.4874.18 75.6471.51 62.6171.25 63.2472.53 68.8472.07 936.7679.37 103.1274.12 118.55 271.05 0.73 893.03 145.4
53 155.9176.24 76.2371.52 71.9671.44 74.7172.99 83.1172.49 1019.17710.19 121.0974.84 139.35 347.23 0.93 1131.62 170.8
56 129.8975.20 66.3871.33 61.6871.23 73.7172.95 82.5372.48 744.9077.45 78.4673.14 120.46 298.96 0.80 961.80 147.7
59 184.5777.38 70.6471.41 61.1871.22 66.9372.68 70.2872.11 1234.65712.35 55.1072.20 143.53 377.74 1.02 1244.75 176.0
Worldwide

40 40 580 55 370 460

UNSCEAR (1988, 1993).

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2
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9
1
2
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Table 2
Radioactivity concentrations of
238
U series,
232
Th series,
40
K and
137
Cs in Bq/kg, as well as the calculated Ra equivalent, absorbed dose rates, external hazard index, annual gonadal dose equivalent and
annual effective dose rates in sediment samples at Frtna Valley
Distance
from sea
(km)
238
U Series (Bq/kg)
232
Th Series (Bq/kg)
40
K (Bq/kg)
137
Cs (Bq/
kg)
D (nGy/h) Ra
eq
(Bq/
kg)
H
ex
AGDE
(mSv/h)
AEDE
(mSv/year)
226
Ra
214
Pb
214
Bi
228
Ac
208
Tl
1 29.4671.18 22.1370.44 18.2470.36 20.7770.83 23.8870.72 599.1175.99 7.0670.28 50.47 107.51 0.29 372.45 61.90
4 44.9371.80 40.1470.80 34.3170.69 37.5671.50 40.4071.21 563.3275.63 6.5970.26 67.02 144.04 0.39 478.65 82.20
7 34.1871.37 30.7070.61 26.2170.52 29.0271.16 31.0170.93 426.1274.26 5.3770.21 51.15 109.91 0.29 364.86 62.70
10 28.2571.13 24.7270.49 23.4270.47 25.7771.03 26.3770.79 661.0376.61 7.3570.29 56.55 116.43 0.31 403.83 69.30
13 24.5470.98 21.0870.42 18.2370.36 20.7470.83 22.5670.68 462.3574.62 3.2970.13 43.30 91.10 0.25 311.50 53.10
16 32.8971.32 30.2970.61 27.7770.56 25.9771.04 30.7570.92 270.6972.71 2.2670.09 43.36 94.28 0.25 305.17 53.20
19 31.9671.28 25.7470.51 23.6170.47 25.1771.01 26.3270.79 538.0875.38 5.7170.23 51.75 110.20 0.29 375.31 63.50
22 36.1871.45 26.9170.54 23.9570.48 27.2071.09 31.0970.93 398.9973.99 41.7271.67 48.83 108.57 0.29 358.88 59.90
25 24.8370.99 19.8270.40 18.2970.37 16.2370.65 26.7970.80 337.7573.38 1.9270.08 37.72 81.59 0.22 272.69 46.20
28 17.8570.71 21.6670.43 11.2970.23 15.6070.62 18.9270.57 355.3573.55 3.0070.12 33.94 69.89 0.19 242.88 41.60
30 15.2070.61 17.5570.35 15.5570.31 19.2970.77 21.6970.65 478.6674.79 4.0070.16 41.02 81.36 0.22 282.91 50.30
31 20.4372.73 15.7770.32 14.9070.30 61.0572.44 19.9170.60 92.4670.92 1.5770.06 38.04 85.44 0.23 261.36 46.60
34 33.1872.26 22.9070.46 21.1470.42 33.9471.36 29.3670.88 51.4170.51 0.8770.03 34.15 82.39 0.22 250.96 41.90
37 48.0671.92 38.6770.77 48.2770.97 69.8172.79 42.0371.26 105.7371.06 1.8070.07 60.78 136.17 0.37 415.45 74.50
39 60.7372.43 49.0270.98 45.1170.90 34.0671.36 37.3771.12 544.8775.45 3.4170.14 69.11 153.75 0.42 508.01 84.70
42 77.9773.12 60.9871.22 56.2471.12 55.4072.22 56.5971.70 1472.10714.72 5.1070.20 128.15 271.38 0.73 937.21 157.20
46 83.9073.36 54.5271.09 45.7870.92 50.9072.04 51.6871.55 1152.93711.53 5.9070.24 109.75 246.02 0.66 835.66 134.60
49 72.2472.89 52.2771.05 46.3770.93 57.9272.32 62.6771.88 1189.19711.89 4.0670.16 115.37 250.02 0.67 848.64 141.50
52 114.9274.60 67.4271.35 63.8171.28 65.1872.61 76.0472.28 1605.26716.05 9.2370.37 150.80 339.49 0.92 1154.30 184.90
58 166.5576.66 89.8571.80 83.3671.67 106.5374.26 68.3872.05 161.3471.61 2.7470.11 113.18 304.03 0.82 930.84 138.80
Worldwide

25 25 373 55 89 460

UNSCEAR (1988, 1993).

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ARTICLE IN PRESS
Table 3
Concentrations of the natural radionuclides and a ssion product in soil samples from different parts of the world, compared with those of the present
study
Region
238
U (Bq/kg)
232
Th (Bq/kg)
40
K (Bq/kg)
137
Cs (Bq/kg) References
China 40442 3388 442913 Yang, et al. (2005)
Jordan 1560 429 99379 Ahmad et al. (1997)
Pakistan 2148 2259 303945 15 Tahir et al. (2005)
India 571 1576 20854 Kanan, et al. (2002)
Algeria 2127 2144 351405 0.143 Baggoura et al. (1998)
Egypt (Southern Egypt) 524 210 293660 Sroor et al. (2001)
Bangladesh 1343 381 402750 310 Miah et al. (1998)
Nigeria 1041 1330 96337 Jibiri and Bankole (2006)
Turkey (Istanbul) 359 891 1171204 281 Karahan and Bayulken (2000)
Turkey (Kocaeli) 1149 1165 161964 225 Karakelle et al. (2002)
Turkey (Canakkale) 82167 152275 10151484 0.3736 Merdanoglu and Altnsoy (2006)
Turkey (Frtna Valley) 11188 10105 1051235 19232 Present work
Table 4
Comparison of radioactivity of sediments with other areas of the world
Country
226
Ra (Bq/kg)
238
U (Bq/kg)
232
Th (Bq/kg)
40
K (Bq/kg) References
Albania 1323 827 1340 266675 Tsabaris et al. (2007)
Spain 622939 776401 1263 Lozano et al. (2002)
Spain 914 1116 220460 Ligero et al. (2001)
Algeria 1125 632 56607 Benamar et al. (1997)
Egypt 448 850 16487 Ibrahiem et al. (1995)
Italy 4270 3137 410475 Doretti et al. (1992)
Greece 1981 29110 1988 1521593 Florou and Kriditis (1992)
French 962 962 1655 1201026 Lambrechts et al. (1992)
Portugal, River Tejo 4257 5476 Carreira and Sequeira (1988)
River Douro 4251 6085
Turkey (Frtna River) 15116 16113 1787 511605 Present study
1
10
1 4 7 16 22 25 28 32 35 41 44 47 50 53 56 59
U-238
Th-232
K-40
Cs-137
A
c
t
i
v
i
t
y

(
B
q
/
k
g
)
10000
1000
100
stations
11 13 20 37
Fig. 2. Variation of
238
U,
232
Th,
40
K and
137
Cs concentrations in soil samples.
A. Kurnaz et al. / Applied Radiation and Isotopes 65 (2007) 12811289 1286
activity concentrations can be attributed to the atmo-
spheric nuclear weapon tests conducted by several coun-
tries. Signicant differences in
137
Cs activity in soil and
sediment samples were observed.
137
Cs activities in soil
samples varied from 18 to 232 Bq/kg and average
137
Cs
activity was found to be 85 Bq/kg.
137
Cs activities in the
sediment samples varied from 0.8 to 41 Bq/kg and average
of 6 Bq/kg was observed. The
137
Cs activity levels of
sedimental samples are lower than that of the soil samples.
Because of the Chernobyl accident, which occurred in
1986, and nuclear weapon tests, it was thought that
137
Cs
was mixed up with soil and swept by rain. Since the ow
rate of Frtna river is too high and almost constant, the
137
Cs concentration in sediment samples was not expected
to be as much as the concentration in soil samples. Hence,
the water effects in sediments are higher than those in soil.
So it is seen that there is 80% difference in
137
Cs
concentration between sediment and soil samples.
3.2. Absorbed dose rate in air (D)
The contribution of natural radionuclides to the
absorbed dose rate in air (D) depends on the natural
specic activity concentration of
238
U,
232
Th and
40
K. The
greatest part of the gamma radiation comes from terrestrial
radionuclides. There is a direct connection between
terrestrial gamma radiation and radionuclide concentra-
tions. If a radionuclide activity is known then its exposure
dose rate in air at 1 m above the ground can be calculated
using the formula proposed by Beck (1972) and UN-
SCEAR (1988):
DnGy=h 0:427 A
U
0:662 A
Th
0:0432 A
K
, (1)
where D is the dose rate at 1 m above the ground, A
U
, A
Th
and A
K
are the activity concentrations of
238
U,
232
Th and
40
K, respectively, in the samples. The conversion factors of
238
U,
232
Th and
40
K are 0.427, 0.662 and 0.0432 nGy/h per
Bq/kg, respectively (Beck, 1972). The absorbed dose rates
in air for the areas under investigation are listed in Tables 1
and 2. The absorbed dose rates in air at Frtna Valley for
soil samples varied from 19.1 to 149.6 nGy/h and the
average dose rate was 77.4 nGy/h. For sedimental samples,
the absorbed dose rate values varied from 33.7 to
150.8 nGy/h and average dose rate was 67.2 nGy/h. The
average D value was calculated as 124, 167, 49, 488 nGy/h
in the Xiazhuang Granite Area (Yang et al., 2005), in
Southeast part of Eskisehir (Orgun et al., 2005), in Istanbul
(Karahan and Bayulken, 2005), in Eastern Desert of Egypt
(Arafa, 2004), respectively. These average values in general
are higher than our result and the international recom-
mended value (55 nGy/h) (UNSCEAR, 1988).
3.3. Radium equivalent activity (Ra
eq
) and external hazard
index (H
ex
)
The results were evaluated in terms of the radiation
hazard by means of the Ra-equivalent activity (Ra
eq
) and
external hazard index (H
ex
). Radium equivalent activity is
a widely used hazard index and it is calculated through the
relation given by Beretka and Mathew (1985). It is assumed
that 370 Bq/kg of
226
Ra, 259 Bq/kg of
232
Th and 4810 Bq/
kg of
40
K produce the same gamma-ray dose rate
Ra
eq
A
Ra
1:43 A
Th
0:077 A
K
, (2)
where A
Ra
, A
Th
and A
K
are the activity concentration of
226
Ra,
232
Th and
40
K in Bq/kg, respectively. Ra
eq
is
estimated for the collected samples and are given in
Tables 1 and 2. The values of Ra
eq
varied from 44.9 to
385.8 Bq/kg and average value of Ra
eq
was found to be
166.3 Bq/kg. The estimated average values of Ra
eq
in the
ARTICLE IN PRESS
1
10
1 4 7 10 13 16 19 22 25 28 30 31 34 37 39 42 46 49 52 58
U-238
Th-232
K-40
Cs-137
A
c
t
i
v
i
t
y

(
B
q
/
k
g
)

10000
1000
100
stations
Fig. 3. Variation of
238
U,
232
Th,
40
K and
137
Cs concentrations in sediment samples.
A. Kurnaz et al. / Applied Radiation and Isotopes 65 (2007) 12811289 1287
present work are lower than the recommended maximum
value of 370 Bq/kg (Beretka and Mathew, 1985). On
comparing the measured mean values from some of the
other countries, it is observed that value of this work is
lower than the measured values of 493.8 Bq/kg in Eastern
Desert of Egypt (Arafa, 2004), 366.9 Bq/kg in southeast
part of Eskisehir (Turkey) (Orgun et al., 2005) and 266 Bq/
kg in Xiazhuang Granite Area (China) (Yang et al., 2005).
The external hazard index H
ex
was calculated for the
investigated samples using the model proposed by Krieger
(1981) assuming thick walls without windows and doors,
where the external hazard index is given by
H
ex
A
Ra
=370 A
Th
=259 A
K
=4810p1, (3)
where A
Ra
, A
Th
and A
K
are the activity concentration of
226
Ra,
232
Th and
40
K in Bq/kg, respectively. The results of
H
ex
based on the criterion formula (Eq. (3)) are given in
Tables 1 and 2. The results range from 0.12 to 1.04 and
average value was found to be 0.45. Only two value
estimated of H
ex
in the present work are higher than 1. The
average values of H
ex
were found to be 2.03 for Eastern
Desert of Egypt (Arafa, 2004), 0.99 for Southeast part of
Eskisehir (Turkey) (Orgun et al., 2005) and 0.84 for
Xiazhuang Granite Area (China) (Yang et al., 2005).
3.4. Annual gonadal dose equivalent (AGDE)
The activity bone marrow and the bone surface cells are
considered as the organs of interest by UNSCEAR (1988).
Therefore, the AGDE due to the specic activities of
226
Ra,
232
Th and
40
K was calculated using the following formula
(Mamont-Ciesla et al., 1982):
AGDEmSv=year 3:09 A
Ra
4:18 A
Th
0:314 A
K
. (4)
The obtained values of AGDE are listed in Tables 1 and 2.
The values of AGDE varied from 143.6 to 1244.7 mSv/year
and the average value was found to be 550.5 mSv/year. The
average value of AGDE was found to be 2398 mSv/year for
Eastern Desert of Egypt (Arafa, 2004). This value of
AGDE is higher than our result.
3.5. Annual effective dose equivalent (AEDE)
In order to estimate the annual effective doses, one has
to take into account to conversion coefcient from
absorbed dose in air to effective and the outdoor
occupancy factor. In the UNSCEAR (2000) reports, a
value of 0.7 Sv/Gy was used for the conversion coefcient
from absorbed dose in air to effective dose received by
adults, and 0.2 for the outdoor occupancy factor. The
annual effective dose equivalent was calculated from
following equation:
AEDEmSv=year
DnGy=h 8760h=year 0:2 0:7 Sv=Gy 10
3
.
5
The results of the calculation are given in Tables 1 and 2.
The annual effective dose rate values varied from 23.4 to
184.9 mSv/year and the average value was found to be
88.7 mSv/year. The world average annual effective dose
equivalent (AEDE) from outdoor terrestrial gamma
radiation is 70 mSv/year (UNSCEAR, 1988). So, the
obtained values are higher than the world average value.
The average AEDE value was calculated to be 152 mSv/
year in the Xiazhuang Granite Area (China) (Yang et al.,
2005), 314.1 mSv/year in the Southeast part of Eskisehir
(Turkey) (Orgun et al., 2005), 69.8 mSv/year in the Istanbul
(Turkey) (Karahan and Bayulken, 2005). These average
values are generally higher than our result.
4. Conclusion
The obtained data cover a wide area in Frtna Valley
originated at the slopes of Kackar Mountain and
discharged to the Eastern Black Sea. The mean concentra-
tions of the radionuclides
238
U,
232
Th,
137
Cs, and
40
K in
soil and sediment samples determined in this study
compare suitably with literature values. But the
137
Cs
activity concentrations in some places are higher than the
other results. This can be attributed to the Chernobyl
nuclear power plant accident and the atmospheric nuclear
weapon tests conducted by several countries. From the
measured values, the average values of absorbed dose rate
in air (D), radium equivalent activity (Ra
eq
), external
hazard index (H
ex
), annual gonadal dose equivalent
(AGDE) and annual effective dose equivalent (AEDE)
were calculated. The outdoor air absorbed dose rates (D)
due to terrestrial gamma rays for soil and sediment have
been calculated because of agricultural area and living in
the surrounding. The Radium equivalent activity (Ra
eq
)
and external hazard index (H
ex
) and annual gonadal dose
equivalent (AGDE) are calculated to assess the radiological
hazard of sand mixed with sediment since sand is used as
construction materials in this region. The annual effective
dose equivalent is higher than the world average. Never-
theless, health effect due to natural radiation from soil and
sediment of the Frtna Valley is low and thus, health
hazards are insignicant. This study can be used as a
baseline for future investigations and the data obtained in
this study may be useful for natural radioactivity mapping.
It seems necessary to determine the radioactivity concen-
trations in soils and sediments of other parts of Turkey.
The results may also be used as a reference data for
monitoring possible radioactivity pollutions in future.
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