Evaluation of Indoor and Outdoor Radiation Levels and its Health Hazard at Dennis Osadebay University, Asaba, Delta State, Nigeria

Abstract

This research designed at evaluating the indoor and outdoor background ionizing radiation dose equivalent levels at Dennis Osadebay  University, Asaba Delta state. The study was carried out at fifteen different locations around the university campus using a portable GQ  GMC-320 detector to measure outdoor and indoor equivalent dose rate of the university campus. The mean values of outdoor and indoor  equivalent dose rate obtained are 0.135 μSv/hr and 0.142 μSv/hr respectively. These mean values are vaguely lower compared to  0.274 µSv/hr world average limit. The mean values of annual effective radiation equivalent (AEDE) of outdoor and indoor are 0.788 mSv/y  and 0.142 mSv/y respectively. Similarly, 2.153 and 0.716 are the obtained values for excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) outdoor and indoor  around the university respectively. The calculated dose to organs showed that the testes have the highest organ dose of (0.533 and 0.039)  mSv/y for indoor and outdoor respectively. The estimated AEDE around the university are below the permissible limit, while ELCR  average values for both outdoor and indoor around the university exceeded the standard value. The implication of equivalent dose rate,  AEDE and ELCR values is that the university environment appears to be safe from immediate radiation-related health effects due to BIR  exposure. Nevertheless, the possibility that an individual may develop cancer over their lifetime within university environment.