Natural radionuclide activities in forest soil horizons of Mount IDA/Kazdagi, Turkey.

Natural radioactivity distribution of (40)K, (238)U, and (232)Th isotopes in forest soils was investigated by using gamma-ray spectrometry. An extensive radioecological study was carried out between 2010 and 2013 in Mount IDA/Kazdagi, located in Edremit region in Turkey. A total of 341 soil samples were collected from the surface and organic horizons (OL, OF+OH, and A) in 118 soil profiles. The distributions of natural radioactivity levels in these horizons and corresponding absorbed dose rates from outdoors terrestrial gamma radiation throughout the region were mapped in detail. Mean (40)K activity values over the combined horizons varied between 43 and 1,008 Bq kg(-1); whereas, mean (226)Ra and (232)Th concentrations over the combined horizons ranged between 5-152 and 6-275 Bq kg(-1), respectively. Our data indicate that the radioactivity values of the study sites were within the universal normal range. The significant variation among the (232)Th, (226)Ra, and (40)K activities and gamma dose rate might be due to the geological variation in the study sites.

Persistence of 137Cs in the litter layers of forest soil horizons of Mount IDA/Kazdagi, Turkey.

In 2010-2012, an extensive study was performed in forest sites of Mount IDA (Kazdagi)/Edremit 26 years after the Chernobyl accident. The (137)Cs activity concentrations were determined by gamma-ray spectrometry in the forest soil layers (OL, OF + OH and A horizons) separately. Based on 341 surface soil samples and 118 soil profiles, activity concentrations of (137)Cs in OL horizons varied between 0.25 ± 0.14 and 70 ± 1 Bq kg(-1), while the ranges of (137)Cs activity concentrations in OF + OH and A horizons were 13 ± 1-555 ± 3 Bq kg(-1) and 2 ± 1-253 ± 2 Bq kg(-1), respectively. Cesium-137 deposition in the study area was estimated to be in the range of 1-39 kBq m(-2) and a linear relationship between the deposition of (137)Cs and the altitude was observed. The distributions of (137)Cs activities in OL, OF + OH and A horizons throughout the region were mapped in detail. The highest (137)Cs activities were found in OF + OH horizons, with markedly lower (137)Cs activity in mineral horizons of soil profiles. It is observed that (137)Cs content of humus layer increases with the thickness of the humus layer for coniferous forest sites. The (137)Cs activity concentrations were higher than the recommended screening limits (150 Bq kg(-1)) at some of the investigated areas. The current activity concentration of top soil layers indicates that over many years since the initial deposition, (137)Cs activity is keeping still high in the organic horizons.

Indoor radon measurements in the granodiorite area of Bergama (Pergamon)-Kozak, Turkey.

Indoor radon levels in 20 dwellings of rural areas at the Kozak-Bergama (Pergamon) granodiorite area in Turkey were measured by the alpha track etch integrated method. These dwellings were monitored for eight successive months. Results show that the radon levels varied widely in the area ranging from 11±1 to 727±11 Bq m(-3) and the geometric mean was found to be 63 Bq m(-3) with a geometric standard deviation of 2 Bq m(-3). A log-normal distribution of the radon concentration was obtained for the studied area. Estimated annual effective doses due to the indoor radon ranged from 0.27 to 18.34 mSv y(-1) with a mean value of 1.95 mSv y(-1), which is lower than the effective dose values 3-10 mSv given as the range of action levels recommended by International Commission on Radiation Protection. All dosimetric calculations were performed based on the guidance of the UNSCEAR 2000 report.