Assessment of natural radiation exposure and radon exhalation rate in various samples of Egyptian building materials

Abstract

Building materials g-absorbed dose rate Radon exhalation rates a b s t r a c tThe aim of this investigation was to determine the amount of g-decay of several building materials used in Egypt, in terms of Bq kg À1 , and to calculate the radiological effect caused by this radioactivity. Activity concentrations of 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K in 30 samples of manufactured building materials were measured using gamma-spectroscopy system based on high-purity germanium detector with an efficiency of 40 %. The activity concentrations for 226 Ra, 232 Th, and 40 K, from the selected building materials, ranged from (8.15 AE 2.81 to 288.5 AE 17.49 Bq kg À1 ), (3.59 AE 1.36 to 77.77 AE 15.61 Bq kg À1 ) and (4.09 AE 4.72 to 1314 AE 15.30 Bq kg À1 ), respectively. Radium equivalent activities, absorbed dose rate, Excess lifetime cancer risk and the values of hazard indexes were calculated for the measured samples to assess the radiation hazards arising from using those materials in the construction of dwellings. These results show that annual dose absorbed by inhabitants from construction materials used in Egypt (except cement bricks) are below 1.0 mSv y À1 . Therefore, the types used in the current study are quite safe to be used as building materials, except the cement brick, granite and ceramic samples which are critical points for safety in construction. Finally, the so-called can technique has been used to measure radium content and exhalation rates of radon in these building materials samples. Positive correlation was found between radium concentration and radon exhalation rates.

Evaluation of Natural Radioactivity in Granite and Marble used as Flooring Materials in Baghdad Province/ Iraq

“…To represent the activity concentrations of 238 U ( 226 Ra), 232 Th and 40 K by a single quantity, which takes into account the radiation hazards associated with them, The index is named radium equivalent activity (Ra eq ) and which was used to confirm the uniformity in the dissemination of natural radionuclides 238 U ( 226 Ra), 232 Th and 40 K and it is given by the following equation [13,14]: Ra eq (Bq/kg) = A Ra + 1.43A Th + 0.077A K Where: A Th , A Ra and A K are the specific activities concentration of 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K in (Bq/kg) units.…”

“…The activity index (I ɣ ) for ending building materials intended for use in building construction [14,15]:…”

A review on hybrid optimization algorithms to coalesce computational morphogenesis with interactive energy consumption forecasting

“…Every form is conceived on the basis of material choices while the thermophysical properties of these materials will play decisive role on the thermal behavior of the form as well as on thermal storage and load shifting of the future building. Thermal engineering research showed that safe sophisticated no toxic materials, with low energy content and low environmental impact is a very important question that should be investigated at an early design stage, since optimum utilization of such materials could significantly influence on the geometry of the envelope [27,[36][37][38][39][40][41][42].…”

Risk assessment of radon in the South Dayi District of the Volta Region, Ghana

“…These progeny products are solid and have the tendency to attach themselves to aerosols in ambient air. When these aerosols are inhaled, they tend to cling onto inner walls and membranes of respiratory system to cause damage due to alpha emitting activities (Khan, Tariq, & Rawat, 2012;Shoeib & Thabayneh, 2014). Because radon is ubiquitous in nature, the general public maybe exposed to various naturally occurring radiation of which radon can be a major contributor.…”