Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 September 2010
Bitumen samples and soil samples around a bituminous deposit in Ondo State, Nigeria, wereanalysed for 40K, 226Ra and 232Th employing gamma-rayspectrometry. The activity concentrations of 40K, 226Ra and232Th in soil varied from (45.2 ± 5.3) to (484.2 ± 25.9), BDL (belowdetectable limit) to (27.7 ± 2.1) and (22.8 ± 2.7) to (62.4 ± 6.8) Bq.kg-1,respectively. The corresponding mean values were (240.2 ± 133.5), (13.3 ± 8.0) and (40.0 ±10.2) Bq.kg-1, respectively. The mean activity concentrations of theradionuclides in the bitumen were (58.4 ± 36.4), (16.1 ± 13.3) and (32.5 ± 13.1)Bq.kg-1, respectively, for 40K, 226Ra and232Th. The mean absorbed dose and effective dose for the soil samples were(41.5 ± 8.9) nGy.h-1 and (50.7 ± 10.9) μSv.y-1, respectively, whilethose of the bitumen samples were (29.5 ± 15.6) nGy.h-1 and (36.1 ± 19.1)μSv.y-1, respectively. For radiological hazard assessment, the radiumequivalent activity and the external hazard index were determined. The values of theradium equivalent activity and external hazard index obtained for the soil and bitumensamples were lower than the recommended limit.