[RESEARCH NOTE]
Absorbed Dose Rates in Air along the Roads in Quezon City, Philippines
Kazuki Iwaoka1*, Lorna Jean H. Palad2, Christopher O. Mendoza2,
Masahiro Hosoda3,4, Paolo Tristan F. Cruz2, Eliza B. Enriquez2,
Ryan Joseph Aniago2, Chitho P. Feliciano2, Shinji Tokonami4, Reiko Kanda1
1National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Sciences and Technology,
4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage, Chiba 263-8555 Japan
2Health Physics Research Section, Atomic Research Division,
Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Nuclear
Research Institute, Commonwealth Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City 1101 Philippines
3Hirosaki University Graduate School of Health Sciences, 66-1 Honcho, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-8564 Japan
4Institute of Radiation Emergency Medicine, Hirosaki University,
66-1 Honcho, Hirosaki, Aomori 036-8564 Japan
*Corresponding author: iwaoka.kasuki@qst.go.jp
ABSTRACT
Nuclear power plant facilities are either in the planning stage or under construction in neighboring countries around the Philippines. It is important to obtain background dose rates data in advance before the occurrence of any radiological or nuclear accidents in the future in order to estimate the increase in dose rates due to the radiological and nuclear accidents. In the Philippines, many people are living in Metro Manila. Quezon City is the largest area in Metro Manila and has many educational facilities and government agencies. In this study, the dose rates were continuously measured along major roads in Quezon City by the car-borne survey. The measured dose rates on the road ranged from 7.7 to 41 nGy h–1 – with a calculated mean value of 13 nGy h–1. These dose rates were less than that of the background level for terrestrial gamma rays in the world (59 nGy h–1). These results will be useful as reference data for background levels in case of any future radiological or nuclear accidents.