Assessment of gamma absorbed doses and radiological risk indexes from soil radioactivity around the phosphate area in south Tunisia.

This article evaluates the radiological hazards of natural radioactivity in soils collected from four locations near phosphate mining and processing sites in southern Tunisia. Using gamma spectrometry, the study measured activity concentrations of potassium-40 (^40K), radium-226 (^226Ra), and thorium-232 (^232Th), and calculated radiation hazard indices including radium equivalent activity (Raeq), absorbed gamma dose rates (|$\overset{.}{D}$|), and annual effective dose (AED) based on standards from the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR). Results showed that the mean radionuclide concentrations and associated radiological hazard parameters were below international safety limits and worldwide averages, indicating low radiological risk to the local population from natural radioactivity in the studied soils. The study highlights the importance of monitoring natural radioactivity in phosphate industrial areas due to potential environmental and public exposure.