Excess lifetime cancer risk due to natural radioactivity in Gumushane Province, NE Turkey

In this study, 162 in situ measurements of U-238, Th-232, and K-40 radionuclide concentrations dataset taken by the gamma-ray spectrometer in Gumushane, Turkey are presented. The gamma ray measurements were performed by a 512-channel, three-window gamma-ray spectrometry equipment made by GF Instruments. We first observed the radionuclides of the U-238,Th- 232, and K-40 values in Gumushane. We then calculated the hazard indices of gamma radiation such as annual effective dose equivalent (AEDE), internal and external hazard index (H-in, H-ex), and excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) based on the radionuclide abundances of U-238, Th-232 and K-40 for the first time. In Gumushane, the average activity concentrations of radionuclides U-238, Th-232, and K-40 were measured as 58.7 +/- 34.3 Bq kg(-1), 62.7 +/- 37.2 Bq kg(-1), and 1026.8 +/- 486.0 Bq kg(-1), respectively. The average outdoor annual effective dose equivalent and ELCR values were 132.2 +/- 63.2 mSv yr(-1) and 0.40 +/- 0.19 x 10(-3), respectively. Numerical results indicate that the radiological parameters (AEDE and ELCR) obtained for Gumushane Province were greater than the world's mean values.