Natural radiation equivalent dose rates assessment in soils and waters of Calabria region, southern Italy

The knowledge of the natural radioactivity in our environment is essential in the assessment of the dose accruing to the populace and also in forming the basis for the assessment of the degree of radioactive pollution in the environment in the future. It represents also an important source of info forObjectivesgeochemical studies since radiometric data can be used to coherently interpret correlations between the radioelements distribution and other elements and corroborating the interpretation of petrogenetic or pedogenetic associations. Radioactivity is omnipresent in the earth’s crust in different amounts for both natural and man-made origin. It is due to the decay of radionuclides derived from minerals. The amount of radioactivity in soil depends upon geology, soil type and its uses, but also upon climate and particularly on thermal and rainfall regime of a region. The global average dose from natural sources is estimated to be about 2.4 mSv/y. Exposure is both external, from direct cosmic and terrestrial radiation and internal from inhalation and ingestion of terrestrial and cosmogenic radionuclides found in air, water, food and soil