Preliminary investigation of the ambient radiation levels of mining sites in Benue State, Nigeria

The study of the ambient radiation levels around some mining sites in Benue State has been carried out using radiation meters; Inspector 06250 and Dose Meter 6150AD. A total of four mining sites were selected for measurements. These sites include the Guma salt mine, Makurdi clay mine, Mkar quarry in Gboko and the Otukpo clay mine. The values of the dose equivalent rates obtain ranged from 0.18 to 0.33mSv/yr and the value of the exposure rate range from 0.011 to 0.11mR/hr. Activity values range from 2.7 to 5.1kBq. The results show that the Mkar quarry recorded the highest values of dose equivalent rate of 0.330.003mSv/yr, exposure rate of 0.10.002mR/hr and activity of 2.70.4kBq. Results show that all the mining locations are still within the safety limits of 1.0mSv/yr, as set by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). Keywords: Ambient, radiation, dose, exposure, activity. Nigerian Journal of Physics Vol. 18 (2) 2006: pp. 219-22