Radiological assessment and potential health risks of naturally occurring radioactive materials in Kuakata Sea Beach sand: implications for rare-earth resources and nuclear fuel cycle feasibility

To assess the natural radioactivity levels and associated health risks in beach sand from Kuakata Sea Beach, this study performed a comprehensive radiological analysis of systematically collected sand samples using high-purity germanium (HPGe) γ-ray spectroscopy. The average (range) radioactivity levels of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K in the examined sand samples were 57 (37-105), 121 (76-231), and 210 (181-270) Bq kg^-1, respectively, thus markedly higher than the world average values of 30, 35, and 400 Bq kg^-1 for ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K, respectively. The evaluation of different radiological risk parameters indicates values (maximum radium equivalent activity of 449.27 Bq kg^-1, maximum outdoor absorbed dose rate of 205.58 nGy h^-1, and maximum external hazard index of 1.21) much higher than the recommended levels, signifying that heavy minerals rich sands could pose a substantial health risk to individuals. The current findings have the potential to generate interest and exploration in rare-earth resources, particularly for their applications in the electronics industry, and thorium based nuclear fuel cycle resources for the next generation nuclear energy industry.