Is there an heightened radioactive risk in Kogi State?

You have heard of the "atomic bomb" and its powers.  It is the general believe that at inauguration, every president of the United State is given access to the nuclear codes that can "destroy" any country.  Well, that is not the only way we are exposed to radionuclides as humans .  We are also exposed to cosmic radiation and terrestrial radiation.  Terrestrial radiation have been reported to vary according to location, soil type and activities carried out at a particular location. 

What is this "nuclear" or "atomic" bomb?  There is this "football" we make as kids.  Our toy involves pieces of balloons together.  We always have a solid "ball" at the beginning but our "ball" begins to fall apart as it gets larger.    Elements with relatively number of small electrons are stable but as the number of electrons get larger, the elements become unstable.  There are elements that are naturally unstable such that they disintegrate on their own or when "stimulated".  These elements are called radioactive elements.  Radioactive elements are useful in several areas such as treatment of cancer, etc.   Exposure to radionuclides above recommended values can pose great danger to people living in that area.

Dr(Mrs) Usikalu and her collaborators, with support from the Centre for Atmospheric Research, CAR, National Space Research and Development Agency, undertook to study the radioactive risks in Kogi State, Nigeria.  They studied three (3) radionuclides ²³²Th, ²³⁸U and ⁴⁰K because they have long half lives.  Two hundred (200) soil samples were taken from different areas of the State, processed using international best standards and analyzed using an Hyper Pure Germanium detector. From their results, the authors reported that

The radiological parameters estimated for most of the locations compared well with world average values, except for Odogba-okaba, Salem University, Forest, Nepa, Gerugu, Niger Bridge, Igaliwu, Ijeke-ogane, Bagana, and Abegikolo villages, whose values exceeded the recommended limit.

To get an overview of the health implication of the results obtained, the effect of radiation on the sensitive body cells such as bone marrow, gonads, skin i.e. gonadal equivalent dose was computed.  It was observed that "nearly all the villages have AG values higher than the recommended limit, with highest value obtained in Igaliwu Omala area. The high concentration may be as a result of the presence of monazite in the area and exploitation of coal and limestone in the area. This could pose a threat to sensitive cells like gonads and bone marrow in the dwellers and workers in these areas."

Spatial maps of radiological parameters for Ajaokuta LGA

There is the urgent need for the Kogi State government, if the interest and well-being of the citizen is important to them, to check the mining activities in the area.  There is also the urgent need to investigate the radionuclide risks in food and water consumed by indigenes of the state. 

References

M. R. Usikalu, I. A. Fuwape, S. S. Jatto, O. F. Awe, A. B. Rabiu & J. A. Achuka (2017) Assessment of radiological parameters of soil in Kogi State, Nigeria. Environmental Forensics, 18:1, 1-14 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15275922.2016.1263898