Assessment of radiation exposure in the phosphate mining area of Gafsa (Southeastern Tunisia)

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the radiological health implications of sixty-three (63) samples of soil, food, and drinking water collected from the phosphate mining area of Gafsa in Southeastern Tunisia. Additionally, it assesses the exposure to radon concentrations in houses located around the phosphate mining sites. The activity concentrations in soil samples were found to be 382.1, 36.1 and 16.3 Bq kg⁻¹ respectively for ⁴⁰K, ²³²Th and ²²⁶Ra. The average activity of ²³²Th was higher than worldwide average value of 30 Bq kg⁻¹. Eleven (11) radiological hazard parameters were computed based on various exposure scenarios including external gamma dose rate (GDR), annual effective dose (AED) and risk assessment (RA). The calculated GDR values were of 3.2 nGy h⁻¹ in food and 45.4 nGy h⁻¹ in soil samples, while the average AED values were of 3.9 µSv y⁻¹ in food and 83.5 µSv y⁻¹ in soil samples. Internal AED due to ingestion of radionuclides was found to have a mean value of 0.1 µSv y⁻¹ in soil, 264.4 µSv y⁻¹ in food and 10 µSv y⁻¹ in drinking water samples. The AED values due to inhalation of soil-dust and radon were assessed to be 2.1 and 1.2 µSv y⁻¹, respectively. The RA average values in food and drinking water samples were found to be 3 × 10⁻⁵ and 2.4 × 10⁻⁴, respectively. Based on the exposure pathway, inhalation of radioactivity through soil and radon resulted in highest total AED values, which remained below the reference limit. This was followed by internal exposure, with total AED values of 274.5 µSv y⁻¹.

KEYWORDS:

• Natural radioactivity
• Gafsa phosphate mining area
• radiological health parameters
• radon concentration

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).