Abstract
Crude oil exploration involves various operational processes and practices such as remote sensing methods of mapping. Moreover, radioactive detectors and explosives associated with seismic exploration, drilling and production equipment, LWD, MWD, uncontrollable wellbore instability, stuck pipe and loss of logging tools in hole issues leading to sidetracking, abandonment activities which leaves an impact on the environment. In this work, the radiological hazard indices in an abandoned oil well of Niger Delta was evaluated in the soil/sediment and water samples of the area to ascertain the impacts on the area and possible solutions were recommended. For soil samples, the mean value of Annual Gonadal Equivalent Dose (AGED) of the five locations was 665.25±65.07mSvy−1 and that for Annual Effective Dose Equivalent (AEDE) (Outdoor and Indoor) were 115.75±11.86μSvy−1 and 463.02±44.44μSvy−1 respectively. The Excess Lifetime Cancer Risk mean value was (0.41±0.04) × 103. The mean values for Representative gamma index, Iγ, the External Hazard index, Hex, and the Internal Hazard Index, Hin, were 0.62±0.01, 0.53±0.06 and 0.66±0.02 respectively. The radiation indices for the water at the abandoned well site, and many locations in the village were also calculated. For soil/sediment samples, the mean value for these indices were above the permissible value which showed radiological elevation in the areas. The radiological elevation from the percentage risk analysis signifies a radiological burden on the people and the environment of these areas and there is the possibility of developing cancer due to exposure to radiation before the age of 70 years for the people living in the areas.
