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The exposure of human population to natural radioactivity has become an important issue. Natural radioactivity is hazardous to health and is usually determined from 226Ra, 232Th and 40K. These radionuclides emit gamma radiations which on inhalation and ingestion lead to irradiation on human body. The aim of present work was to study the activity concentration and radium equivalent due to 226Ra, 232Th and 40K radionuclides. This study was carried out in soil samples of Shaheed Bhagat Singh District of Punjab, India using gamma ray detector NaI(Tl). Activity concentration of natural radionuclides 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in soil of Shaheed Bhagat Singh District of Punjab varies from 28 Bq/kg to 38 Bq/kg, from 38.2 Bq/kg to 55.4 Bq/kg and from 201 Bq/kg to 376 Bq/kg with average values of 32.2 Bq/kg, 48.8 Bq/kg and 324.3 Bq/kg respectively. Radium equivalent from these radionuclides is found to vary from 96.7 Bq/kg to 139.6 Bq/kg with average value of 124.7 Bq/kg which is less than the safe limit of 370Bq/kg recommended by OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radon is considered a significant contaminant that is second most frequent cause of lung cancer after cigarette smoking. The estimation of radon gas and its exhalation rates in soil is helpful to study many health hazards due to radon. The present research work deal with the estimation of radon and thoron concentrations along with annual effective dose rate due to both radon and thoron in Shaheed Bhagat Singh District of Punjab. This paper also shows radon concentrations, radon mass and surface exhalation rates and radium content in some of the soil samples.It has been found that radon and thoron levels in air varies from 34.6 Bqm−3 to 135.5 Bqm−3 and from 56.9 Bqm-3 to 94.1 Bqm-3 with mean values of 65.8 Bqm−3 and 73.6 Bqm− 3, respectively. Annual effective dose rates due to radon and thoron are comes out to be 1.9 mSv and 1.8 mSv, respectively. In soil of SBS District the radon concentration varies from 104.4 Bq.m−3 to 303.3 Bq.m−3 with the average value of 175 Bq.m-3. It has been shown that radon mass exhalation rate varies from 2.4mBq.kg-1.h-1 to 7.0mBq.kg-1.h-1 with average value of 4.0mBq.kg−1.h-1. Radon surface exhalation rate varies from 10.0mBq.m−2.h−1 to 29.1mBq.m−2.h−1 with average value of 16.8mBq.m−2.h−1. The radium content in soil samples varies from 1.6 Bq.kg−1 to 4.7 Bq.kg−1 with the average value of 2.7 Bq.kg−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]