Transfer factors of 40K and 232Th and radiological risk assessment of soil and wheat samples collected from agricultural fields near thermal power plant, Jhajjar, Haryana, India

The study investigated the transfer of radionuclides from soil to wheat near a coal-fired thermal power plant, specifically the Indira Gandhi Super Thermal Power Plant (IGSTP). Using a thallium-doped sodium iodide detector, soil and wheat samples were analysed for radioactivity levels. The transfer factors (TF) for radionuclides K-40 and Th-232 from soil to wheat were found to be 0.32 and 0.20, respectively, indicating that 32% and 20% of these radionuclides were transferred to wheat. Uranium (U-238) contamination in wheat was not detected (ND), hence no transfer factor was determined for it. All transfer factors were below the global standard of unity. The mean absorbed dose and annual effective dose equivalent from soil samples were 22.35 nGyh(-1) and 0.026 mSvy(-1), respectively, both below the global average and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines (0.07 mSvy(-1) and 0.1 mSvy(-1), respectively). The calculated excess lifetime cancer risk ranged from 0.92 x 10(-4) to 2.14 x 10(-4), lower than the global average of 2.9 x 10(-4) reported by United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR). As a result, no immediate radiological health implications attributable to radiation were observed in the study area.