Determination of natural radioactivity in soils and drinking water in the region of Çorlu of Teki̇rdağ province

DETERMINATION OF NATURAL RADIOACTIVITY IN SOILS AND DRINKING WATER IN THE REGION OF ÇORLU OF TEKİRDAĞ PROVINCE Ali USLUER Physics Department, M.S Thesis, 2018 Thesis Supervisor: Assoc. Doç. Dr. Kaan MANİSA SUMMARY Natural radiation, which has three major sources: terrestrial radiation, cosmic radiation and internal radiation, makes the largest contribution to the total radiation dose because of the intake of natural radionuclides through inhalation (mainly radon) and ingestion. Terrestrial radiation sources include the ground, rocks, air, building materials and drinking water supplies. Internal radiation is in our body because of what we eat and drink, and the air we breathe. The most significant part of natural radioactivity mainly from U-238, Th-232 and K-40 in soil arises from the terrestrial gamma-ray radiation. In this study, the analysis of natural radioactivity from U-238, Th-232 and K-40 in 11 soil samples collected from the province of Tekirdağ-Çorlu was carried out using a NaI(Tl) gamma-ray spectroscopy system. From the activity concentrations of U-238, Th-232 and K-40 the total absorbed outdoor gamma-ray dose rates and the corresponding annual effective dose rates were determined. Also, water samples for radon-gas analyses were collected from the town of Tekirdağ-Çorlu. The radon concentrations of collected water samples were measured using the AlphaGUARD PQ 2000PRO radon detector. The results obtained in this study were compared with the UNSCEAR-2000 report and the other studies found in literature. Keywords: Drinking Water, Potasyum, Radon, Soil, Torium, Uranium.