Abstract
Preliminary studies have been conducted into the impact of NORM (naturally occurring radioactive materials) on the environment and the public from the operational activities of Diamond Cement factory in Ghana. Both water and soil samples were collected and their activities measured using gamma spectrometry. The annual effective dose was found to vary from 0.022 to 0.186 mSv with an average of 0.094 ± 0.041 mSv for soil samples. That of the water samples varied from 0.094 to 0.287 mSv with an average of 0.179 ± 0.080 mSv. The average value of the equivalent dose of the soil samples was found to be lower than the world average soil annual equivalent dose of 0.7 mSv.
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The authors are grateful to the Radiation Protection Institute of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission for the use of their facilities for this study.
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An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10967-011-1050-x
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Adukpo, O.K., Ahiamadjie, H., Tandoh, J.B. et al. Assessment of NORM at diamond cement factory and its effects in the environment. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 287, 87–92 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-010-0844-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-010-0844-6