Environmental-Impact Assessment of Natural Radioactivity Around a Traditional Mining Area in Al-Ibedia, Sudan

Recently, in the Sudan, traditional gold mining has been growing rapidly and has become a very attractive and popular economic activity. Mining activity is recognized as one of the sources of radioactivity contamination. Hence, the radioactivity concentration and radiological hazard due to exposure of radionuclides Ra-226, Th-232, and K-40 were evaluated. The measurements were performed using gamma-ray spectrometry with an NaI (Tl) detector. The results show that Ra-226, Th-232, and K-40 activity concentration ranged from 2.66 to 18.47, 9.20 to 51.87, and 0.17 to 419.77 Bq/kg with average values of 7.54 +/- A 4.91, 20.74 +/- A 11.29, and 111.87 +/- A 136.84 Bq/kg, respectively. In contrast, Rn-222 in soil, Rn-222 in air, and Ra-226 in vegetables along with radiation dose were computed and compared with the international recommended levels. Potential radiological effects to miners and the public due to Ra-226, Th-232, K-40, and Rn-222 are insignificant. Ra-226 transferred to vegetables appears to be negligible compared with the allowable limit 1.0 mSv/year set by United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR). The average value of the annual gonadal dose equivalent (AGDE) is lower than the global average of 300 A mu Sv/year (UNSCEAR 2000). However, some locations exhibit values > 300 A mu Sv/year. To the best of our knowledge, so far there seems to be no data regarding radioactivity monitoring in traditional mining areas in the Sudan.