Radionuclide concentrations and excess lifetime cancer risk due to gamma radioactivity in tailing enriched soil around Maiganga coal mine, Northeast Nigeria

Background: Human activities such as mining enhance the radioactivity levels above normal background which can lead to an incremental increase in the radiation risk to the population

Materials and Methods: 20 tailing enriched soil samples collected around Maiganga coal mine, Gombe, Northeast Nigeria were assessed for their[226]Ra,[232]Th and [40]K contents using HPGe gamma-ray detector

Results: The mean activity values of 11.9013.0, 17.72+/-3.6 and 70.44+/-20.4 Bq kg[-1] were obtained for [226]Ra, [232]Th and [40]K respectively. These values were below the world average values documented by UNSCEAR. The ratio of [232]Th:[226]Ra obtained was 1.5, which showed that [232]Th activity was higher than the activity of [226]Ra while [40]K recorded the highest activity concentration in the studied samples. Statistical analysis identified strong positive relationships among all radiological parameters and confirmed that [225]Ra,[232]Th and [40]K were the major contributors to radiation dose. Radium equivalent activity [Ra[eg]], absorbed gamma dose rate [D[r]], annual effective dose [AEDE], activity utilization index [AUI], external and internal hazard indices [H[ex]] and H[in], gamma representative index [l[vr]], annual gonadal dose [AGDE] and excess lifetime cancer risk [ELCR] were calculated to quantify the radiation risk to the public from exposure to[226]Ra, [232]Th and [40]K in the studied samples. The mean values of these hazard parameters were within the acceptable limits provided for human safety and environmental protection

Concfusfon: The use of the raffing enrfcnecf soff sampfes of Maiganga coaf mine for any purpose whatsoever does not therefore pose any immediate radiological risk to the coaf workers or the general pubfic

Study the relationship of erythropoietin and chronic obstructive pulomonary disease

It has long been known that COPD causes polycythemia secondary to erythrocytosis caused by hypoxia present in advanced cases of COPD. However, it was shown in several studies that some COPD patients had anemia rather than erythrocytosis. Revealing the changes which occur in erythropoiesis in response to COPD was the aim of the current study. 41 COPD patients of different groups according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria and ten healthy control subjects age and sex matched were enrolled in the study. For all, history taking and full Clinical exam were performed, also ABGs, PFT [spirometry], routine labs [CBC, liver and renal function] and determination of EPO should be performed on human serum by ELISA. Showed that the erythropoietin level was 15.24 +/- 2.6 in stage 1, 22.61 +/- 5.68 in stage 2, 33.59 +/- 4, in stage 3, then 17.9 +/- 3.3 in stage 4. Also the total percentage of anemia in COPD patients was 46.3% [19/41], in comparison to 51.3% [21/41] non anemic and 2.4% [1/41] polycythemic. And that the percentage of anemia was 27.3% in stage 1, followed by 38.0% in stage 2, 100% in stage 3 then dropped to 58.33% in stage 4 with emergence of polycythemia in 8.33% of cases. Although COPD was thought to cause polycythemia, the current study showed that almost half of patients have anemia, and polycythemia occurred only in the advanced stages. It also appeared that response to erythropoietin in COPD is probably blunted especially with increased severity of the condition. This might be considered as a contributing factor in the development of anemia in COPD which is considered as anemia of chronic disease