Magnitudes and Effects of Radon Emission from Vitellaria Paradoxa Used for Charcoal Production in Atisbo Local Government, Oyo State

Abstract

Radon is a chemical element with atomic number 86 on the periodic table. It is a radioactive, colorless, odorless, tasteless noble gas, occurring naturally as a decay product of radium. Its most stable isotope, ²²²Rn, has a half-life of 3.8 days. It is the only gas under normal conditions that has radioactive isotopes and is considered a health hazard due to its radioactivity. This research project investigated the effect and magnitude of radon emission from Vitellaria paradoxa used for charcoal production in Atisbo local government area of Oyo state. The study area is open woodland vegetation similar to derived savanna ecological zone. An oral interview was conducted on charcoal producers as a pilot study. Radon concentration measurements were carried out in three (3) charcoal production sites at the study area. At each location RAD7 was used to probe 0.6m beneath the soil. The collected data were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the means separated  using Duncan's Multiple Range Test (DMRT). The concentration in air at L₁S₄₀ and L₁S₃₀ are not significantly different from each other with the value of 2125.0 and 1947.0 respectively and the radon concentration in soil at L₁S_0, L₁S₁₀ and L₁S₂₀ are not significantly different from one another(p<0.05) at Kona Owo. The radon concentration in the soil at all distance L₂S_0, L₂S_10, L₂S₂₀, L₂S_30, L₂S₄₀ with the value of 2822, 4803, 4140, 3112, 5210 are not significantly different from one another (p<0.05) where L₂S₄₀ with 5210 is having the highest value of radon and L₂S₀ is having low in the soil at Oje Owode. The experiment showed that during the production of charcoal, more radon is emitted to both the air and soil when it is compared to the amount of radon emitted by Vitellaria paradoxa atvthe point of burn. It is recommended that the charcoal workers should wear appropriate protective clothes to protect them from radon emission.

Keywords: Radon emission, Shea tree, Soil radon concentration, ionizing radiation, Charcoal production.