Natural radiation monitoring and control treatment in the Hantepe beach.

Abstract

This work has been carried out to monitor and decrease the natural radiation exposure at the Hantepe beach (Çanakkale, Turkey). A 0.25- to 0.30-m-thick layer of sand was scraped, removed and deposited in a safe place in order to decrease people's exposure to radiation and to relieve relevant radiophobia. The original mean value of dose rate on the beach was 1.38 μGy h(-1) at the contact and 1.0 μGy h(-1) at 1 m above the ground. After the scraping process, the mean value of dose rate decreased to 0.98 μGy h(-1) at the contact and to 0.78 μGy h(-1) at 1 m above the ground. One year later, these values decreased to 0.70 μGy h(-1) at the contact and to 0.56 μGy h(-1) at 1 m above the ground. The effective original dose rate of 1.2 mSv y(-1) decreased to 0.95 mSv y(-1) after the surface treatment and to 0.69 mSv y(-1) one year later.