Assessment of natural radioactivity and associated radiation hazards in some Cameroonian building materials

A total of 183 samples of 20 different commonly used structural and covering building materials were collected from housing and other building construction sites and from suppliers in Ankara to measure the natural radioactivity due to the presence of (226)Ra, (232)Th and (40)K. The measurements were carried out using gamma-ray spectrometry with two HPGe detectors. The specific activities of the different building materials studied varied from 0.5 +/- 0.1 to 144.9 +/- 4.9 Bq kg(-1), 0.6 +/- 0.2 to 169.9 +/- 6.6 Bq kg(-1) and 2.0 +/- 0.1 to 1792.3 +/- 60.8 Bq kg(-1) for (226)Ra, (232)Th and (40)K, respectively. The results show that the lowest mean values of the specific activity of (226)Ra, (232)Th and (40)K are 0.8 +/- 0.5, 0.9 +/- 0.4 and 4.1 +/- 1.4 Bq kg(-1), respectively, measured in travertine tile while the highest mean values of the specific activity of the same radionuclides are 78.5 +/- 18.1 (ceramic wall tile), 77.4 +/- 53.0 (granite tile) and 923.4 +/- 161.0 (white brick), respectively. The radium equivalent activity (Ra(eq)), the gamma-index, the indoor absorbed dose rate and the corresponding annual effective dose were evaluated to assess the potential radiological hazard associated with these building materials. The mean values of the gamma-index and the estimated annual effective dose due to external gamma radiation inside the room for structural building materials ranged from 0.15 to 0.89 and 0.2 to 1.1 mSv, respectively. Applying criteria recently recommended for building materials in the literature, four materials meet the exemption annual dose criterion of 0.3 mSv, five materials meet the annual dose limit of 1 mSv and only one material slightly exceeds this limit. The mean values of the gamma-index for all building materials were lower than the upper limit of 1.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0952-4746/28/1/005/pdf

Measurement of the natural radioactivity in building materials used in Ankara and assessment of external doses

Natural radioactivity and radiation hazards in some building materials used in Isparta, Turkey

The concentrations of primordial radionuclides (226Ra, 232Th and 40K) in commonly used building materials (brick, cement and sand), the raw materials of cement and the by-products of coal-fired power plants (fly ash) collected from various manufacturers and suppliers in Bangladesh were determined via gamma-ray spectrometry using an HPGe detector. The results showed that the mean concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in all studied samples slightly exceeded the typical world average values of 50 Bq kg−1, 50 Bq kg−1 and 500 Bq kg−1, respectively. The activity concentrations (especially 226Ra) of fly-ash-containing cement in this study were found to be higher than those of fly-ash-free cement. To evaluate the potential radiological risk to individuals associated with these building materials, various radiological hazard indicators were calculated. The radium equivalent activity values for all samples were found to be lower than the recommended limit for building materials of 370 Bq kg-1, with the exception of the fly ash. For most samples, the values of the alpha index and the radiological hazard (external and internal) indices were found to be within the safe limit of 1. The mean indoor absorbed dose rate was observed to be higher than the population-weighted world average of 84 nGy h–1, and the corresponding annual effective dose for most samples fell below the recommended upper dose limit of 1 mSv y–1. For all investigated materials, the values of the gamma index were found to be greater than 0.5 but less than 1, indicating that the gamma dose contribution from the studied building materials exceeds the exemption dose criterion of 0.3 mSv y-1 but complies with the upper dose principle of 1 mSv y−1.

/pdf/assessment-of-natural-radioactivity-levels-and-potential-2lbs058j0w.pdf

Assessment of Natural Radioactivity Levels and Potential Radiological Risks of Common Building Materials Used in Bangladeshi Dwellings.

Radon exhalation of cementitious materials made with coal fly ash: Part 1--scientific background and testing of the cement and fly ash emanation.

In situ gamma-ray spectrometric measurement of uranium in phosphate soils

Instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) was applied to the rapid determination of aluminium in drinking water. Aluminium content was quantitatively determined by measuring the γ-ray photopeak at 1778 keV of the short-lived radionuclide28Al (half-life 2.25 min). The experimental procedure was aimed at reducing significantly all contributions to the background. The aluminium concentration in various sources of drinking water was found to range from 80 to 170 μg·1−1, well within the recommended European Standard of 200 μg·1−1. The limit of detection (LOD), when assaying a sample of 10 ml under the specified experimental conditions, is 100 ng of Al.

Neutron activation analysis for environmental trace element research determination of aluminium in drinking water

Several cases of transporation and deposition of settling particles following dust storms over Israel, occurring between 1973 and 1987, were experimentally investigated. The storm particles were collected in Jerusalem and Ramat Hasharon, north of Tel Aviv. Meteorological conditions during the storms were examined and classified according to their trajectories into two types: (a) North African and (b) Arabian Desert. The North African type is by far the most common. In the present work, the concentrations of 26 elements (Al, Ba, Br, Ca, Ce, Co, Cl, Cr, Eu, Fe, Hf, K, La, Mg, Mn, Na, Rb, Sb, Sc, Si, Ta, Th, Ti, U, V, and Yb) in settling particles were determined by instrumental neutron activation analysis. The validity of the method was checked by analyzing U.S. NBS Standard Reference Material SRM-1633a; the elemental content found agreed well with the published certified data. Since Al as well as Si were determined through the reactions27Al(n, γ)28Al(2.24 min) and28Si(n, p)28Al, respectively, thermal and epithermal neutron activation was applied in order to determine the contribution of silicon to the total28Al activity. Interpretation of the chemical analyses using Enrichment Factors reveals that settling particles are relatively enriched in Ca probably from the local terrain and in Cl derived from the Mediterranean Sea.

Determination of elemental composition of settling particles in Israel following Saharan dust storms by neutron activation analysis

Natural radionuclides in building materials available in Israel

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In situ gamma-ray spectrometric measurement of uranium in phosphate soils

Neutron activation analysis for environmental trace element research determination of aluminium in drinking water

Determination of elemental composition of settling particles in Israel following Saharan dust storms by neutron activation analysis

Natural radionuclides in building materials available in Israel