Radiological Hazard of Limestone at Tse-Kucha Mining and Processing Site, Gboko, Nigeria

Background and Objective: Mining activities expose buried unstable radionuclides to the subsurface which releases harmful energy in form of radiation to the environment during decay. This study examined the radiological risk from radionuclides in limestone samples at the Tse-Kucha mining and processing site, Gboko, Nigeria and proffer radiation safety advice. Materials and Methods: The radiological assessment was carried out using radiation alert inspector Exp⁺ for ambient radiation measurement, a Global Positioning System (GPS) for mapping sampled points and Sodium Iodide Thallium Activated [NaI(Tl)] detector for measuring activity concentrations and distribution patterns of the radioisotopes (⁴⁰K, ²³⁸U and ²³²Th). The study used Microsoft Excel and SPSS for radiological and Pearson correlation analysis. Results: Despite the high mean background radiation measurement of 2.445 mSv yr^–1, accepted limits of 339.34±18.01 Bq kg^–1 for ⁴⁰K, 8.41±1.02 Bq kg^–1 for ²³⁸U and 10.99±0.69 Bq kg^–1 for ²³²Th were recorded. Similarly, the estimated radiation hazard parameters recorded mean concentrations within the UNSCEAR recommended values except excess lifetime cancer risk with 73.1E-5 against 29E-5. Conclusion: The study shows that the radionuclides are not evenly distributed in the limestone. The work also shows that continuous radiation exposure will enhance the tendency of suffering from cancer. As a result, the study recommends regular radiological studies of the area and the mandatory use of personal protective equipment when accessing the environment.