Abstract: The environmental effective gamma-dose rate has been determined at the Mexican Storage Centre for Radioactive Waste (SCRW) and surrounding communities. Soil samples were analysed for 226Ra, 235U, 137Cs and 40K concentration activities. The outdoor effective gamma dose rate was higher at the SCRW where industrial radioactive sources and uranium ore piles were stored in the past. Some nearby locations, where the action of the rain on the piles promoted the transport and surface migration of 226Ra, 235U and 137Cs, also showed an increased gamma dose rate. The gamma dose rate at distant communities (local background) was evaluated with data obtained along 10 years measurements. The additional effective external dose for the general public at the 200 m neighbouring zone of the site, was two times higher than that from the local background. The outdoor average external effective dose for workers due to the SCRW operation was 20 times than for the local background.