Determination of Primordial Radionuclides in Natural Samples Using HPGe Gamma-Ray Spectrometry

Distributions of primordial radionuclides in soil and vegetables were investigated using high-purity germanium gamma-ray spectrometry. Gamma-ray spectrometry is one of the most accepted and widely used techniques for the detection and analysis of radioactive materials for a wide range of activity. Important properties of the employed gamma-ray detector were also determined to ensure the accuracy of the radiometric analysis. The studied samples were kept in airtight condition at least for 6 weeks before gamma counting to attain the radioactive equilibrium between daughters and parents of 226Ra (238U) and 232Th decay series. The average specific activities for uranium in soil and vegetable samples were obtained as 21±4 and 2.4±0.4, respectively. Respective values for Thorium and Potassium levels were obtained as 21±3, 1.9±0.5 and 290±20, 80.3±54.9 in soil and vegetable samples. The reported data can be considered as base values for distribution of natural radionuclides in soil and vegetable samples in the studied region, and will be used as reference information to assess any radiological contamination due to soil and vegetables in future. The response of the studied the detector was found suitable for radioactivity analysis of natural samples having a wide range of activity.