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Determination of Radioactivity Levels in the Virgin and Fertilized Soil Samples of Rawalpindi District, Pakistan

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Abstract

The existence of primodial radionuclides in the earth’s crust causes all soils to contain some amount of radioactivity. To increase the crop production, fertilizers are extensively used, which causes further increase in the radioactivity. In order to assess the increase in radioactivity level due to fertilizer, twenty eight (28) soil samples of virgin and fertilized soils from three tehsile of district Rawalpindi, were analyzed using Gamma-Ray Spectroscopy (HPGe) technique. In virgin samples an average activity concentration of 19.04 ± 1.17 Bq kg−1 for 226Ra, 32.52 ± 2.09 Bq kg−1 for 232Th and 303.09 Bq kg−1 for 40K were found, respectively. In the fertilized soil samples activity concentrations were found to be 20.88 ± 1.28 Bq kg−1 for 226Ra, 32.65 ± 2.01 Bq kg−1 for 232Th and 332.35 Bq kg−1 for 40K, respectively. Only a minor increase in the activity concentration of fertilized samples was noted. Hazard Indices were also calculated for virgin and fertilized soil samples. In both types of samples values of the indices were found to be within permissible limits. The results obtained in current study were compared with the results for other countries

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, COMSATS University Islamabad, Islamabad, 45550, Pakistan

    Hannan Younis, Beenish Wasim, Aziz Ahmed Qureshi & Muhammad Ali

  2. Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Engineering and Technology (UET) Lahore, Lahore, Pakistan

    Farooq Ahmad

  3. Department of Nuclear Engineering, King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

    Khurram Mehboob

  4. Department of Physics, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan, 23200, Pakistan

    Muhammad Ajaz

  5. Deaprtment of Physics, Women University Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Bagh, Pakistan

    Kamal hussain

Authors
  1. Hannan Younis
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  2. Beenish Wasim
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  3. Aziz Ahmed Qureshi
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  4. Muhammad Ali
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  5. Farooq Ahmad
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  6. Khurram Mehboob
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  7. Muhammad Ajaz
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  8. Kamal hussain
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Correspondence to Hannan Younis.

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Younis, H., Wasim, B., Qureshi, A.A. et al. Determination of Radioactivity Levels in the Virgin and Fertilized Soil Samples of Rawalpindi District, Pakistan. Iran J Sci Technol Trans Sci 45, 1085–1095 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40995-021-01064-w

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40995-021-01064-w

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