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Radioactivity of fertilizers used in Serbia and dose assessments for workers in the industry

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Abstract

Fertilizers contain a certain level of radioactivity and thus can affect the exposure of workers to radiation during production. The activity concentrations of 238U, 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K were determined using the gamma spectrometry method for 36 samples of chemical fertilizers used in Serbia. Average values of 238U, 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K are 213 ± 37 Bq kg− 1, 51 ± 10 Bq kg− 1, 12 ± 2 Bq kg− 1, 3671 ± 436 Bq kg− 1, respectively. The values of radium equivalent index (Raeq), absorbed gamma dose rate (DR), annual effective dose (AED) and excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR), alpha dose equivalents for radon exposures (HE), and radon mass exhalation rates (EM) were estimated. The obtained values were compared with the results of similar research.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge the financial support of the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of the Republic of Serbia, Grant No. 451-03-9/2022-14/ 200125.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Sciences, Department of Physics, University of Novi Sad, Novi Sad, Trg Dositeja Obradovica 4, Novi Sad, 21000, Serbia

    Predrag Kuzmanović, Jovana Knežević Radić, Dušan Mrđa, Jan Hansman, Danijel Velimirović & Sofija Forkapić

  2. Department of Medical and Business-Technological Studies, Laboratory for Physics, Academy of Applied Studies Šabac, Hajduk Veljkova 10, Šabac, 15000, Serbia

    Predrag Kuzmanović

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Correspondence to Jovana Knežević Radić.

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Kuzmanović, P., Radić, J.K., Mrđa, D. et al. Radioactivity of fertilizers used in Serbia and dose assessments for workers in the industry. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 331, 5825–5834 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-022-08646-x

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