Akpanowo, MbetAmosUmar, IbrahimIyakwari, ShekwonyaduJoshua, Emmanuel OlugbemiYusuf, SamsonEkong, Godwin Bassey2023-12-142023-12-142020-04-04[1] N. Abdu , A .A . Yusuf , Human health risk characterization of lead pollution in contaminated farmlands of Abare village, Zamfara State, Nigeria, Afr. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 7 (9) (2013) 911–916 . [2] A .K. Ademola , A .K. Bello , A .C. Adejumobi , Determination of natural radioactivity and hazard in soil samples in and around gold mining area in Itagun- modi, south-western, Nigeria, J. Radiat. Res. Appl. Sciences 7 (2014) 245–255 . [3] M.A. Akpanowo , I. Umaru , S. Iyakwari , Assessment of radiological risk from the soils of artisanal mining areas of Anka, North West Nigeria, Afr. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 13 (8) (2019) 303–309 . [4] M.A. Akpanowo , I. Umaru , E.O. Joshua , S. Iyakwari , S.D. Yusuf , Assessment of heavy metals contamination and pollution around mining sites of Anka, north-west Nigeria, Nipp. J. Environ. Sci. 1 (3) (2020) 1009 . [5] A.H. Al-Ghamdi , Health risk assessment of natural background radiation in the soil of Eastern province, Saudi Arabia, J. Radiat Res Appl Sci 12 (1) (2019) 219–225 . [6] G. Alzubaidi , F. Hamid , I. Abdul Rahman , Assessment of natural radioactivity levels and radiation hazards in agricultural and virgin soil in the state of Kedah, north of Malaysia, Sci. World J. (2016) 2016 . [7] A. Amanjeet, Kumar , S. Kumar , J. Singh , P. Singh , B.S. Bajwa , Assessment of natural radioactivity levels and associated dose rates in soil samples from historical city Panipat, India, J. Radiation Res. Appl.Sci. 10 (3) (2017) 283–288 . [8] W.C. Bekelesi , E.O. Darko , A.B. Andam , Activity concentrations and dose assessment of 226 Ra, 228 Ra, 232 Th, 40 K, 222 Rn and 220 Rn in soil samples from Newmont-Akyem gold mine using gamma-ray spectrometry, Afr. J. Environ. Sci. Technol. 11 (5) (2017) 237–247 . [9] BRERNRC, Board on Radiation Effects Research National Research CouncilEvaluation of guidelines for exposures to technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials, National Academy Press, 1999 . [10] F.N. Buba , Analysis of the spatial distribution of lead concentration in the soil of Anka, Zamfara State, Nigeria, J. Environ. Pollut. Hum. Health 4 (1) (2016) 16–23https://keffi.nsuk.edu.ng/handle/20.500.14448/6029Artisanal mining of precious metals has become a lucrative venture in Anka, Zamfara State, North-West Nigeria. The use of crude methods of mining and mineral processing and the apparent ignorance of the hazards involved have been linked to some health and environmental consequences. Hence, this study focuses on the assessment of radioactivity levels in rock, soil and sediment samples as well as the radiological hazards of the artisanal mining in Anka. The gamma-ray spectrometry method was employed in the sample analysis. The results show that the estimated mean activity concentrations of 226 Ra, 238 U, 232 Th and 40 K in soil were 37.94 ± 6.01 Bqkg −1 , 41.60 ± 11.06 Bqkg −1 ,151.15 ± 21.09 Bqkg −1 and 380.34 ± 116.41 Bqkg −1 , respectively. The activity concentrations in rocks and sediments were also analyzed. The radioactivity levels were highest in rock samples. ; For rock samples, mean radium equivalent was 499.18 Bqkg −1 , gamma dose rate was 221 ± 35 nGyh −1 , internal and external hazard indices were 1.35 and 1.53, respectively and the radioactivity level index was 3.24. The outdoor and indoor annual effective dose equivalents were 271.03 μSvy −1 and 985.39 μSvy −1 , respectively. The mean indoor and outdoor excess lifetime cancer risk for soil were 0.55 × 10 −3 and 2.18 × 10 −3 . The evaluation of radiological health risks shows that the values obtained in this study were generally higher than admissible recommended limits and the world averages. The results obtained in this study show that the risk of exposure to ionizing radiation is linked to the artisanal mining and mineral processing in AnkaenActivity concentration Anka Artisanal mining Radioactivity Radiological RadionuclideArticle