Evaluation of natural radioactivity level in Delanta-Dawunt, Wollo District, Ethiopia.

In the Delanta-Dawunt district of Ethiopia's northern eastern Amhara region, twenty-one different environmental samples (gemstones) were gathered. This is one of the opal-mining (gemstone) locations in Ethiopia. We divided the 21 obtained samples into seven groups. The study's major goals were to quantify the activity concentration of gemstones (opals) and examine the health implications. For ²²⁶Ra, the activity concentration ranged from 11.97 ± 2.46 to 62.44 ± 14.99 Bq kg⁻¹, 25.69 ± 3.69 to 137.84 ± 13.23 Bq kg⁻¹ for ²³²Th, and 184.84 ± 3.59 to 968.56 ± 18.16 Bq kg⁻¹ for ⁴⁰K. ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K were found to have mean radioactivity concentrations of 29.84 ± 6.53, 68.44 ± 18.94, and 390.87 ± 6.09 Bq kg⁻¹, respectively. Radium equivalent activity (Raeq), absorbed dose, annual effective dose equivalent, external and internal radiation hazard (Hex and Hin) index, and activity utilisation index have mean values of 151.68 19.46 Bq kg⁻¹, 72.19 8.48 nGy h⁻¹, 0.07 0.01mSv y⁻¹, 0.43, 0.51, 0.57 0.08, and 0.29 0.03. ²³²Th has higher specific activity than the global average, while ⁴⁰K has the same. Meanwhile, the absorbed dose is higher than the world's means value. The average value of excess life cancer risk found in this study is the same as the world's average value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]