The activity concentrations of 40K, 238U and 232Th have been measured in industrial wastes
and by-products collected from different industries in Lagos, Nigeria by gamma-ray
spectroscopy. The mean concentrations of 40K, 238U and 232Th were 943.0±22.7, 100.0±3.7
and 31.2±2.5 Bqkg-1 respectively. The radiation hazards to the public due to the specified
radionuclides were estimated using the radium equivalent activity and the representative
level index. The average radium equivalent obtained in this study is below the
internationally accepted value of 370 Bqkg-1 while the representative index value is above
the 1.0 Bqkg-1 recommended by United Nation Scientific Committee on the Effects of
Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR).