Assessment of Natural Radionuclide Contents in Water and Sediments from Asa-Dam, Ilorin, Nigeria

Natural radionuclides content of 238U, 232Th and 40Kfor water and sediment samples collected from Asa-dam Ilorin, Nigeria weremeasured using NaI(TI) detector.The mean activity concentration in the water samples were 6.05, 3.23 and 9.65 Bql-1for 238U, 232Th and 40Krespectively. The mean activity concentration of 238U, 232Th and 40Kmeasured in the sediment samples were 7.57, 8.19 and 73.48 Bqkg-1respectively. Theactivity concentration of 40Kwas higher than that of 238U and 232Thfor the water and sediment samples. All measured activity concentration and estimated radiological parameters were below world permissible limit values. Therefore, there may be no serious immediate radiological health burden on the environment and the people using the dam

Radial Solutions of the Schrodinger's Equation with Superposition of Yukawa and Manning-Rosen Applying the Nikiforov-Uvarov Method

The solutions of the SchrÓ§dinger equation with Manning-Rosen plus Yukawa potential (MRYP) have been presented using the Pekeris-like approximation of the Coulomb term and parametric Nikiforov-Uvarov (NU) method. The bound state energy eigenvalues and the corresponding un-normalized eigenfunctions are obtained regarding Jacobi polynomials. Also, Yukawa, Manning-Rosen, and Coulomb potentials have been recovered from the mixed potential, and their eigenvalues obtained

MEASUREMENTS OF SEASONAL VARIATIONS OF RADIOACTIVITY DISTRIBUTIONS IN RIVERINE SOIL SEDIMENT OF ADO-ODO OTA, SOUTH-WEST NIGERIA: PROBABILISTIC APPROACH USING MONTE CARLO

The radioactivity levels were measured using a hand-held gamma-ray survey meter and NaI (Tl) based gamma spectroscopy to evaluate the seasonal variation of radioactivity levels in the riverine area of Ado-Odo Ota. The measured iso-dose map reported higher gamma dose rate of 79 nGy/h, approximately 34% higher than the world average of 59 nGy/h. The values for U-238, Th- 232 and K-40 activity levels ranged between 29.9 and 21.6; 103.2 and 31.2; 802.2 and 233.5 with mean values of 26.1, 55.6 and 499.3 Bq/kg, respectively. According to the mean, 5th and 95th percentiles of the probabilities using theMonte Carlo simulation, the Radium equivalent activities and the absorbed dose rates are within their respective recommended limits of 370 Bq/kg and 84 nGy/h. This study could be used to monitor dose rates and radiological risks for the areas covering the small area (Ado-Odo Ota) to the larger area (West African Region) as baseline data

Sustainable nano-sodium silicate and silver nitrate impregnated locally made ceramic filters for point-of-use water treatments in sub-Sahara African households

The poor access to water quality for Nigerians has pushed for the designing of new trend silver nitrate impregnated locally made Point-Of-Use (POU) ceramic filters to enhance water purification efficiency for household use. This study utilized silver nitrate-molded ceramic filters prepared with Kaolin from Owode, silt soil, sodium silicate, sawdust, and distilled water in three varying proportions to ascertain pollution removal efficiencies. Heating was carried out by firing the filters at 900 �C and further preheating at 400 �C after dipping in silver nitrate solution. Silver nanoparticle and dissociated particle discharge from filter pot painted with 0.03 mg/g caseincovered nAg or AgNO3 were estimated as an element of pH (5–9), ionic strength (1–50mM), and cation species (Naþ, Ca2þ, Mg2þ). Silver delivery was constrained by disintegration as Agþ and resulting cation exchange measures, paying little heed to silver structure applied. Water analysis for both heavy metals (Pb and Cd) and microbial load (E. coli) evaluated, corroborate the maximum removal efficiency. It was observed that kaolinsawdust with the Silver nitrate filters showed a constant and effective removal of both heavy metals and disinfection of microbial loads. The minimum flow rates observed were 4.97 mL/min for batch filter used for Iju River water sample one (AF1) and 4.98 mL/min for batch filter used for Iju River water sample two (AF2) having porosity 49.05% and 50.00%, whereas the 5 mL/min higher flow rate was used for batch filter from borehole water sample one (BF1) and batch filter used for well water sample two (CF2) with porosity of 50.00%. Significantly, the results obtained show that the filters are suitable for point-of-use application in both the urban and rural areas of developing countries such as Nigeri

Human and ecological risk assessments of potentially toxic elements in sediments around a pharmaceutical industry

Potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in sediment can be highly hazardous to the environment and public health. This study aimed to assess the human and ecological risks of PTEs in sediments around a pharmaceutical industry in Ilorin, Nigeria. Physicochemical parameters and the concentrations of lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), arsenic (As), and nickel (Ni) were analyzed in sediment samples collected from seven locations in the wet and dry seasons. Standard two-dimensional principal component analysis (PCA) and risk assessments were also conducted. The concentrations of Pb, Co, Ni, Cr, Cd, and As in the sediments ranged from 0.001 to 0.031 mg/kg, 0–0.005 mg/kg, 0.005–0.012 mg/kg, 0.001–0.014 mg/kg, 0.005–0.024 mg/kg, and 0.001–0.012 mg/kg, respectively. The mean concentrations of the total PTEs content were found in decreasing order of concentration: Pb > Cd > Ni > Cr > As > Co. PCA showed that some of the PTEs were highly concentrated in samples obtained at other locations as well as at the discharge point. The Hazard Index was mostly <1 across locations, indicating little to no probable non-cancerous effect. However, the incremental lifetime cancer risk for arsenic and nickel was high and required attention. The ecological risk assessment showed that lead and arsenic were the major PTEs pollutants in all locations. The study identifies PTEs profiles in sediments and emphasises the necessity of continual monitoring and action to stop long-term negative impacts on the local environment and public health

Radioactivity distributions and biohazard assessment of coastal marine environments of niger-delta, Nigeria

ABSTRACTThe Unumherin community in Nigeria’s Niger Delta is home to coastal marine polluted zones, and this research examines the radioactivity distributions and biohazard in the coastal environment. The activity concentrations of 40K, 238U, 232Th, as well as the outdoor dose rate of contaminated coastlines were measured using a calibrated RS-125 Gamma-Spec and a NaI(Tl) gamma-detector. The laboratory examination of sediments, water, and fish from the same coastal region – Clarias gariepinus Pseudotropheus elongated Oreochromis niloticus and Stromateus fiatola – was combined with the in-situ observations of gamma dose rates. With a value of [Formula: see text], the hotspot at site 4 is shown by the geographic distribution of gamma dose rates. The findings showed that the activities of the primordial radionuclides varied, with average values for the sediments and water exceeding suggested limits. Similarly, the corresponding mean hazard indices mostly exceeds the allowable limits. The species specificity of the fish species accounts for the variation in the mean concentrations of 40K, 238U and 232Th. C. gariepinus, having accumulated higher concentrations of 40K and 238U, may be the first to elicit health hazards in the future if pollution continues unmonitored. Hence, continuous monitoring of the aquatic environment alongside is highly recommended