Terrestrial Gamma Radiation Exposure in Bangka-Belitung Islands, Indonesia

Bangka-Belitung is known as tin producer and it geologically contains higher
concentrations of natural radionuclides than most other areas. The aim of this study
was to evaluate the level of terrestrial gamma radiation in Bangka-Belitung Islands.
The external gamma radiation dose rate from terrestrial gamma-rays have been
measured at one meter above the ground by means of a portable gamma
spectrometer at 66 survey points. The terrestrial gamma dose rates in Bangka island
range from 43.67 to 511.54 nGy h-1 with a mean of 183.45 nGy h-1
, while in
Belitung island they range from 15.54 to 416.39 nGy h-1 with a mean of 132.60 nGy
h
-1
. From this work, a strong correlation was found between dose rates found from
in-situ radiation measurements and dose rates calculated theoretically from
radioactivity contents of the soil at the same locations. Generally, Bangka-Belitung
islands have higher outdoor natural gamma dose rates than the world average value
of 0.058 μGy h-1
for the regions with normal background radiation specified by
United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation
(UNSCEAR).