Radioactivity in Some Food Crops from High Background Radiation Area on the Jos –Plateau, Nigeria

Abstract

The activity Concentration of ⁴⁰K, ²²⁶Ra and ²²⁸Th were determined in the food crops on the Jos Plateau using -ray spectrometry. The activity concentration of the natural radionuclide in the food crops lied between 12.36 ± 0.82 and 56.92 ± 8.84Bq/Kg for ⁴⁰K,(1.46 ± 0.05 to 10.42 ± 0.04) Bq/Kg for ²²⁶Ra and from (1.53 ± 0.08 to 6.85 ± 0.42) Bq/Kg for ²²⁸Th. These relativity high values for the activity concentrations maybe attributed to the series of tin mining activities that have taken place in these areas in the past decades. However, the values obtained suggest that the dose taken from intake of these radionuclides in the food crops is low and that harmful effects are not expected.

Keywords: Radionuclides, Activity concentration, Food crops, Mining ,Jos-Plateau.