Estimation of radiological impact of the activities of Olusosun Dump Site on workers and dwellers of Olusosun, in Lagos Southwest Nigeria.

This study assessed the potential radiological risks associated with the activities on Olusosun dump site on workers and dwellers of Olusosun community. The activity concentrations of 238U, 232Th and 40K from of soil and water samples were determined using High-Purity Germanium (HPGe) detector. The background radiation level of Olusosun dump site was measured using a portable Geiger-Müller counter-Radeye B20 survey meter. The mean value of background radiation was 1.46 mSv/yr. This value is about 46% higher than the recommended reference level of 1.0 mSv/yr for the public. The mean activity concentrations of 238U, 232Th and 40K in the soil samples were 19.1 ± 3.2, 29.1 ± 4.4 and 171.5 ± 6.1 Bq/kg respectively which are about 45.4%, 35.3% and 59.2% lower than the world's average levels. For the water samples, the mean activity concentrations obtained for 238U, 232Th and 40K are 0.4 ± 0.4, 0.8 ± 0.2 and 0.8 ± 0.3 Bq/l respectively. These are about 99.9% and 20% lower than WHO reference levels for 238U and 232Th. The mean absorbed dose rate in air (D), Annual effective dose (AED) outdoor, Radium Equivalent (Req), External hazard index (Hex) internal hazard index (Hin) and Excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) from soil samples were 33.6 nGy/h, 41.0 µSv/yr, 73.1 Bq/kg and 0.2, 0.3 and $1.4\times{10}^{-4}$, respectively. Absorbed dose in air D, AED outdoor, Req, Hex, Hin and ELCR are 41.1%, 41.4%, 80.3%, 80%, 75% and 50% lower than their corresponding world's average and references. The estimated AEDw from ingestion of water is 148.9 ± 50.4 µSv/yr, this is about 49% higher than the WHO reference level of 100.0 µSv/y from ingestion of water. The radiological hazard indices estimated from soil samples do not indicate any potential risks to the users. The elevated background radiation level of the dump site, and AEDw from ingestion of water, however, suggest that the activities on Olusosun dump site pose potential radiological risks on workers on the site and the public from consumption of water from Olusosun community.

Design and Evaluation of Structural Shielding of a Typical Radiotherapy Facility Using EGSnrc Monte Carlo Code.

Purpose: This study aimed to evaluate the shielding integrity of a typical radiotherapy facility using the Monte Carlo (MC) method. Materials and Methods: EGSnrc MC code was used to design a radiotherapy bunker with appropriate materials and thicknesses. A concrete density of 2.36 g/cm3 was used as a shielding material for primary and secondary barriers. The lead slab was used in the entrance door. The complex geometries of the bunker were modeled by using the egs++ application code embedded in the software. Phase-space generated from a linac machine built with BEAMnrc codes was used as a source of 18 MV X-ray beam set at 100 cm source-surface distance with a field size of 40 cm × 40 cm. Energy deposited in each geometrical region was evaluated and analyzed. Results: Energy deposited at the entrance door, supervised and controlled areas were found to be approximately 0%. No significant difference in the energy deposition on the geometries was observed when the gantry angles were set at either 90° or 270° (P = 1). Conclusion: The findings in this study revealed that the EGSnrc MC code can be used as a veritable tool in the design and evaluation of structural shielding efficiency in a radiotherapy facility.