Estimation of granite radiation hazards of Deh Siahan village in Rafsanjan city

Abstract There are villages in Rafsanjan city (Kerman, Iran) that are nearby or located on radioactive granite rock, unfortunately. In this study, by measuring the 232Th, 238U and 40K radioactive elements, the amount of radiation hazards caused by radioactive granite rock. For the residents Deh Siahan village has been investigated. The results show that the radiation hazard parameters of Deh Siahan village are higher than the permissible values announced by the UNSCEAR reports. For example, the total effective dose rates of Deh Siahan village was determined to be 0.30 ± 0.01 mSv/y. The calculated values of the excess lifetime cancer risks (ELCR) for Deh Siahan village is 10.51 ± 0.03× 10-4. The average absorbed dose rate in air for Deh Siahan village is 156.68 ± 4.01 nGy/h for the whole studied samples, this value is about 285% of the maximum level recommended by (ICRP60, 1991) to the public (1 mSv/y), so there is high radiological risk for the peoples in those village.