DETERMINATION of OUTDOOR GAMMA DOSE RATES in YALOVA, TURKEY

Today, environmental radiation measurements are made in order to investigate the radioactivity levels of a region. By measuring natural background radiation, it is possible to show how much radiation people are exposed to [1, 2]. Yalova is a city located at the entrance of the Izmit bay and coastline to the Marmara Sea [3]. The main purpose of this study is to determine the natural background radiation level of Yalova. For this aim, 36 different stations were determined from the districts of Yalova and measurements were taken with a portable scintillation detector SP6 (via using portable counter ESP2, Eberline). When the measurements are analyzed, outdoor gamma dose rates in air were found ranging from 27.7 nGy/h to 64 nGy/h. And, the average gamma dose value of the study area was calculated as 48.1 nGy/h. Also, the mean equivalent dose rate expected to be taken annually by a person was calculated as 60.65 μSv/y. In conclusion, this study was compared with different studies and UNSCEAR report.