TITLE:
Radiometric and Geophysical Investigations on Exposure Levels and Excess Cancer Risk in Kargi-Kenya
AUTHORS:
Willis O. Aguko, Robert Kinyua, John G. Githiri
KEYWORDS:
Kargi, Magnetic Survey, Anomalous zones, Geologic, Germanium Detector
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection,
Vol.11 No.4,
April
26,
2023
ABSTRACT: Radiation is considered one of the possible causes of cancer disease with natural background sources including
cosmic, terrestrial and internal radiation. A number of cancer disease cases
have been reported in Kargi with their causes not properly documented. The present work characterized the radioactivity
in soil and water, to find out possible causes of radiation in KARGI-KENYA
by studying magnetic intensities, anomalous zones with depth to magnetic
sources and delineating subsurface structures. A total of 117 soil and 14 water
samples were collected from the entire area and analysed for radionuclides due
to 40K, 232Th and 226Ra. Measurement methods
of proton magnetometer and gamma spectrometry employing a high purity germanium
(HPGe) detector were employed basically to evaluate the magnetic survey and
radiological hazard of radioactivities respectively. A total of 51 magnetic
field measurements were taken on the eastern part of Kargi, a place suspected
to have more concentration of radionuclides. The results showed that there
could have been a fractionation during weathering period or metasomatic
activity of the radioelements involvement. This study also reveals that the
mining activities in the nearby study area could have affected the geologic
formation causing more fracturing in rocks and pronounced subsurface structures
as a result of mining that could have served as passage for leachates from
pollutants as well as the level of radiation in the study area.