https://doi.org/10.1140/epjs/s11734-025-01717-6
Regular Article
Natural radiation background assessment and determination in Tirana District, Albania
Institute of Applied Nuclear Physics, P.O Box 85, Street “Thoma Filipeu” Qesarakë, Tirana, Albania
Received:
19
June
2024
Accepted:
29
May
2025
Published online:
17
June
2025
Natural radioactive radiation or the natural background of radiation is the product of the presence in natural ecosystems of radioactive sources of various origins and in particular of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM). The level of natural background radiation varies geographically due to geological changes. Natural radiation is the main source of human exposure to ionizing radiation, where one of the contributors of natural sources of radiation is the radioactive gas radon which is present in atmospheric air and makes the largest contribution to public exposure. For this reason, the study presented in this paper is focused on the assessment and determination of the natural background in the Tirana district. Institute of Applied Nuclear Physics with the support of the National Agency for Scientific Research and Innovation of the Ministry of Education and Sport conducted this study for the Natural Radiation Background Assessment and Determination in Tirana District. The average dose rate levels in the Tirana district were 0.063 (µSv/h), maximum 0.195 (µSv/h) and minimum 0.013 (µSv/h). Based on the average dose rate level the calculated annual dose received from the public is 0.183 mSv which is within the allowed dose limit of 1 mSv in a year. As a result we can conclude that the dose received from various natural sources for the Tirana district population does not constitute any risk on the health of the population and is within the dose limit for the population described in annex II of Regulation No.801 dt.11.12.2019 “On the protection of the public and professionally exposed employees to ionizing radiation.
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Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.