Measurement of Natural Radioactivity of Sand in the Area of Kandahar Airport in Southern Afghanistan

This study provides a comprehensive baseline radioecological survey of natural radioactivity within surface sand formations surrounding the Kandahar Airport sector in Southern Afghanistan. The primary objective is to investigate and map the specific activity concentrations of primordial radionuclides, explicitly Uranium-238, Thorium-232, and Potassium-40 using high-resolution gamma spectrometry equipped with a high-purity germanium (HPGe) semiconductor detector. A total of 10 representative sand samples were collected across a 400 km² spatial grid surrounding this critical infrastructural zone. The experimental results reveal that the activity concentrations align tightly with typical natural background distributions determined globally. Quantitative statistical evaluation, incorporating experimental uncertainties and standard deviations, demonstrates that the calculated radiological hazard indices remain safely below international health and security thresholds. This research establishes a definitive pre-rehabilitation environmental baseline, proving that the regional gamma flux is strictly governed by local mineralogical compositions and geological lithology rather than anthropogenic or operational footprints. cycle.