Natural Radioactivity and Radiological Hazards in Some Building Materials Used in New Assiut City, Egypt

Abstract

The natural level of radioactivity in building materials is one of the major causes of indoor gamma radiation. Using of building materials containing naturally occurring radionuclides as 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K results in external and internal exposures of individuals living in dwellings made of these materials. By the determination of the radioactivity level in building materials, the indoor radiological hazard to human health can be assessed. This is an important precautionary measure whenever the dose rate is found to be above the recommended limits. The aim of this work was to measure the specific activity concentration of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in commonly used building materials from New Assiut city (EGYPT), using gamma-ray spectrometer. The radiological hazard associated with the studied building materials was estimated by different approaches. The obtained results in the present study are compared with the reported data of other countries. Keywords: Natural radioactivity, Building materials, Radiological hazard indices