Abstract
Radiometric measurement of building materials is very important to assess the internal and external exposure caused by the ionizing radiation emitted from terrestrial radionuclides in building materials. The activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K in fifty-eight samples of fifteen different structural and covering building materials commonly used in Osmaniye province located in the Mediterranean region of Turkey were measured by using gamma-ray spectroscopy. The activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K varied from 2.5 ± 0.1 (marble) to 145.7 ± 4.4 (clay brick), 1.3 ± 0.1 (marble) to 154.3 ± 4.1 (marble), and 8.6 ± 0.2 (sand) to 1044.1 ± 70.3 (granite), respectively. Radiological parameters (activity concentration index, alpha index, indoor absorbed gamma dose rate and the corresponding annual effective dose rate, and excess lifetime cancer risk) were estimated to evaluate the health hazards associated with these building materials. Since the estimated values of these parameters are within the recommended safety limits or criteria values, the use of the studied building materials in the construction of dwellings can be considered to be safe for the residents of the region.
Highlights
Determination of the activity concentration levels of the natural radionuclides contained in the building materials utilized in the construction of dwellings, schools, and commercial buildings is very important to evaluate the radiological risks associated with the utilization of these materials
The activity concentration results of these terrestrial radionuclides reveal that there are significant differences in the measured values of building material samples originating from different areas
It is concluded that all values of the activity concentration and alpha index estimated for the studied building materials are lower than the criterion of unity
Summary
The aim of this study is to obtain reference data related to the radioactivity level of building materials utilized in the construction of homes in Osmaniye province and evaluate their radiological consequence when used as building materials
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