Assessment of outdoor gamma radiation levels and exposure assessment in Alwar district of Rajasthan, India

The average total dose received by the global population is significantly influenced by naturally occurring terrestrial gamma radiation. Evaluating radiation levels are essential for establishing the baseline data. In this perspective, gamma radiation is monitored in the study region in two seasons, i.e., pre- and post-monsoon periods. In this study, outdoor gamma radiation in the Alwar district of Rajasthan (India) was systematically measured using the Geiger-Muller technique. The gamma radiation was found to range between 65 nSv/h and 160 nSv/h, with an average value of 112.11 nSv/h. The annual effective dose (AED) of outdoor gamma radiation was estimated to range between 0.114mSv/year to 0.280 mSv/year. The AED values at all locations in both pre-and post-monsoon seasons are found below the recommended level of AED of 1.0 mSv/year (International Commission on Radiological Protection, 1996).