RESEARCH ARTICLE European Journal of Applied Physics www.ej-physics.org DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.24018/ejphysics.2021.3.4.91 Vol 3 | Issue 4 | August 2021 43 Assessment of Radiation Risk from Background Radiation Exposures in Selected Hospitals within Makurdi Metropolis, North-Central, Nigeria O. Y. Omogunloye, A. T. Adepoju, and P. Kururimam ABSTRACT In this study, a radiation alert meter was used to measure background ionizing radiation levels in four hospitals in Makurdi Metropolis, Benue State, North Central, Nigeria. This aimed to determine the radiological health implications of the measured background ionizing radiation study area's populace. The background ionizing radiation exposure rate (indoor and outdoor) measured ranged from 0.0014 to 0.0019 mRhr -1 with average value 0.0017 mRhr -1 , 0.0015 to 0.0024 mRhr -1 with average value 0.0019 mRhr -1 , 0.0013 to 0.0025 mRhr -1 with average value 0.0018 mRhr -1 and 0.0012 to 0.0024 mRhr -1 with average value 0.0018 mRhr -1 for the selected hospitals A, B, C and D, respectively. The study showed that the mean equivalent dose rate levels are within the international commission on radiological protection's standard permissible limits. The mean annual effective dose equivalent (indoor and outdoor) for all the selected hospitals is within the recommended permissible limits of 1.00 mSvy -1 for the general public. In the selected hospitals A, B, C, and D, the estimated Dorgan values for the lungs, ovaries, bone marrow, testes, kidney, liver, and whole- body due to radiation exposure and inhalation are below tolerable international limits of 1.0 mSv yearly. Hence the selected hospitals are radiologically safe. Keywords: Annual Effective Dose Equivalent; Background ionizing radiation; Effective Dose; Exposure Rate; Radiation Alert Meter; Radiological Health Hazard Indices. Published Online: August 17, 2021 ISSN: 2684-4451 DOI :10.24018/ejphysics.2021.3.4.91 O. Y. Omogunloye* Department of Physical Sciences, Olusegun Agagu University of Science and Technology, Okitipupa, Ondo State, Nigeria. (e-mail: oy.omogunloye osustech.edu.ng) A. T. Adepoju Department of Physics, Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria. (e-mail: bayolastic gmail.com). P. Kururimam Department of Physics, Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria. (e-mail:paulkururimam gmail.com). *Corresponding Author I. INTRODUCTION It is a well-known fact that most of the world's population lives in an environment where we are exposed to varying radiation levels daily. The radiation may be from natural sources, such as the soils' radionuclides, cosmic radiation due to ionization of gases in the atmosphere, radon gas, granite rock, water, sediments [11], or artificial sources from x-ray machines, building materials, radioactive waste from nuclear reactors, the fallout from nuclear weapons testing and nuclear accidents. The amount of radiation emitted in the environment varies depending on geographical locations. Ionizing and non-ionizing radiations are the two types of radiation. Ionizing radiation is a type of radiation that can produce ions, disrupting life processes by causing ionization in a matter when irradiated, which is more detrimental to the human body than non-ionizing radiation [11]. Non-ionizing radiations, on the other hand, do not create ions in irradiated matter, even though they may harm human health in different ways [11]. Ionizing radiation has recently received a lot of attention because of its capacity to break atoms and create positive ions and negative electrons, which inflict biological damage to humans when exposed to it. X-rays, gamma rays, alpha particles, beta particles, neutrons, and cosmic rays are examples of ionizing radiation. Although ionizing radiation is harmful, people have immensely benefited from its uses in the medical industry ever since its discovery. Ionizing radiation is helpful in the medical sector for performing diagnostic imaging and therapeutic procedures, which provide vital information about patients' health to medical doctors to help them ensure that proper medical treatment and attention are given to patients when the need arises [6]. However, these procedures also have a high probability of exposing many people to radiological risks, especially when the exposure rates are higher than the recommended permissible level by radiation safety regulatory bodies. Background indoor and outdoor radiation has over the years become a public health concern. It is, therefore, imperative to ascertain its level within strategic areas in our hospitals/radiological center for monitoring and compliance with international standards. Although several studies have been conducted in Nigeria to determine the levels of natural background radiation in hospitals, [8] investigated the radiation risk assessment of background radiation exposures in South-South Nigeria hospitals. They reported an average indoor and outdoor exposure dose rates of 0.013±0.003 and 0.015±0.003 mRh -1 at the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital, 0.015±0.005 and 0.015±0.005 mRh -1 at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, and 0.014±0.003 and 0.013±0.003 mRh -1 @ @ @