Natural Radionuclide in Soil around Shenzhen Mawan Power Plant

Soil samples around Shenzhen Mawan Power Plant(MPP) were analyzed for natural radionuclide. The concentration of226Ra,232Th and40K in the soils ranged from 72~358 Bq/kg(averaged 204 Bq/kg), 118~432 Bq/kg(averaged 265 Bq/kg) and 101~2 168 Bq/kg(averaged 1 269 Bq/kg) respectively. The operating of coal-fired power plants has caused increment in natural radionuclide concentration in the surrounding environment, which was observable within 4 kilometers from the power plant. The contents of radionuclide in soil profile A(0~15 cm) were relatively lower than those in profile B(15~30 cm), which might caused by soil infiltration and plant adsorption. With respect to the high background radiation, the natural radioactivity in soil around MPP was much higher than those found in soil near other coal fire power plants. The Raeq values for the soil samples around MPP ranged from 346 to 878 Bq/kg, most of which exceeded the allowed maximum Raeq value of 370 Bq/kg.