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Gamma radiation dose rate in high-altitude areas in the Bageshwar, Champawat and Pithoragarh districts of Uttarakhand, India

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Abstract

Radiation has a deteriorating effect on humans as well as on the environment depending on its level, although we have all been exposed to natural gamma radiation from birth. The presence of radionuclides in rocks, soil, plants, and water is a major factor behind the natural gamma radiation. The present study deals with the study of natural gamma radiation at Bageshwar, Champawat and Pithoragarh districts of Uttarakhand. It also consists of seasonal variations in gamma radiation and its relationship with altitude and geology. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of altitude and geology on natural gamma radiation dose rate data in high-altitude areas of India. The highest gamma radiation value was 444 nSv/h in the summer and 342 nSv/h in the winter. The investigation recorded the gamma radiation up to 2542.20 m altitude, indicating that the geology of the areas is more relevant than the altitude. Few sites in such a high-altitude zone were found to exceed the value of 200 nSv/h, as reported by UNSCEAR. This research is necessary in order to consider the human health and climate changes, both of which are part of the action plan for the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 3, SDG 13).

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study will be available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

APP and KP acknowledge the Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences for funding the project.

Funding

This study was funded by the Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences (BRNS), DAE project sanction number 36(4)/14/45/2015-BRNS/10043 under NUP.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Allied Sciences, Graphic Era Hill University, Bhimtal Campus, Bhimtal, Uttarakhand, India

    Kiran Patni

  2. Department of Chemistry, Laxman Singh Mahar Government Post Graduate College, Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, India

    Ashutosh Pratap Pande

  3. Divecha Centre for Climate Change, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India

    Manoj Kumar Jindal

  4. Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Bhimtal, Kumaun University, Nainital, Uttarakhand, India

    Tanuj Joshi

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  1. Kiran Patni
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  2. Ashutosh Pratap Pande
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  3. Manoj Kumar Jindal
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  4. Tanuj Joshi
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Contributions

Project inception, sample collection and management were done by APP and KP. Data analysis was done by KP, MKJ and TJ. The first draft of the manuscript was written by KP and MKJ, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript and modified the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Manoj Kumar Jindal.

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Patni, K., Pande, A.P., Jindal, M.K. et al. Gamma radiation dose rate in high-altitude areas in the Bageshwar, Champawat and Pithoragarh districts of Uttarakhand, India. Environ Geochem Health 45, 8119–8133 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10653-023-01714-5

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