 Natural radioactivity measurements and dose rate assessment of selected ceramic and cement used in Riyadh city,Saudi Arabia

مقال فى مجلة

2019

تم النشر فى: https://faculty.ksu.edu.sa/sites/default/files/natural_radioactivity_measuremen…

The natural radioactivity of ceramic and cement samples collected from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, was analyzed
using a gamma-ray spectrometry system with a high-purity germanium detector. The specific
activities of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K ranged from 45.0 ± 4.2 to 177.8 ± 7.5 Bq/kg, 49.1 ± 2.6 to
228.4 ± 6.8 Bq/kg, and 370.0 ± 5.3 to 1269.0 ± 12.2 Bq/kg, respectively, for the ceramic samples and from
11.4 ± 2.0 to 28.7 ± 5.3 Bq/kg, 8.4 ± 1.3 to 10.8 ± 1.1 Bq/kg, and 50.7 ± 2.1 to 209.7 ± 3.5 Bq/kg, respectively,
for the cement samples. The radium equivalent activity, external hazard index, absorbed dose rate,
and annual effective dose were calculated using the above measurements in order to assess the radiological
hazard associated with the studied building materials. The average values of these radiological
indices for the ceramic samples were 299.4 ± 94.8 Bq/kg, 0.8 ± 0.3, 138 ± 42.4 nGy/h, and
0.68 ± 0.21 mSv/y, respectively, and for the cement samples, these values were 36.8 ± 7.74 Bq/kg,
0.12 ± 0.02, 20.35 ± 4.39 nGy/h, and 0.10 ± 0.02 mSv/y, respectively. The radiological indices of the studied
samples were found to be within the range of those reported in recent similar studies conducted in
other countries. The majority of the ceramic samples can be safely used as building materials for dwelling
construction, although some samples slightly exceeded the average radium equivalent of 370 Bq/kg and
the external hazard index limit of 1; the hazard indices for the cement samples, however, were all below
the recommended world limits and can be considered safe for inhabitants

• رقم المجلد: 31
• مجلة/صحيفة: Science Journal of King Saud University