Natural and fallout radionuclide concentrations in the environment of Islamabad

A study on the concentration of natural and fallout radionuclides in environmental samples collected from different localities of Islamabad was performed. For the determination of gamma-emitters such as ²³⁸U, ²³²Th, ⁴⁰K and ¹³⁷Cs high purity germanium (HPGe) detector was used while for the analysis of ⁹⁰Sr, a beta-emitter, liquid scintillation counting system was used. The indoor absorbed dose rate was measured by a CaF₂ : Dy thermoluminescence detector. Other radiation parameters were also determined to evaluate the radiation hazard. All the results were well within the permissible limits showing that there is no radiation hazard in the environment of Islamabad.