Comparative Study of Natural Background Radiation Between Mamuju Regency, West Sulawesi, and West Java
Zulfahmi1, Sidik Permana1.2, Adi R.A.Abdullah1, Imam Ghazali Y2, Ismail Humolongo1, Haryo Seno3

1Doctoral Program in Nuclear Engineering, Bandung Institute of Technology, Jl. Ganesha No. 10, Bandung, Indonesia.
2Master Program in Physic, Bandung Institute of Technology, Jl. Ganesha No. 10, Bandung, Indonesia.
3Indonesia^s National Research and Inovation Agency, Jl. Tamansari No. 71, Bandung, Indonesia.

Abstract

Some areas have unique radiation levels, caused by the high density of buildings or deposits of radioactive minerals. Mamuju district is the area with High Natural Background Radiation (HNBR) despite the low density of the population, while West Java possessing low-level radiation is the area with the largest population in Indonesia. Measurements of dose levels in these two areas were carried out for two weeks covering nine villages in Mamuju and nine districts in West Java. The method used is random sampling to collect data from one meter on the surface, while the tool used was the Ludlum model 19 series 8 Analog Survey meter. The results of radiation measurements were 2.208 mSv/year from 180 data in the Mamuju district and 0.3086 mSv/year in 103 data in West Java. The big difference between the two is due to the presence of radioactive element-carrying minerals in the Mamuju district, while in West Java areas there are lack of radioactive elements mineralization.

Keywords: radiation, scintillator, dose rate, Mamuju, west Java, HNBR

Topic: Radiation Physics