Abstract

Measurements of the natural radioactivity in building materials (raw and manufactured), other than granites in KSA

Author(s): A.Sh.Aydarous, Sadek K.Zeghib, Mohammed El-Daghmah

In this work we have measured the natural radiation content of the building materials (raw and manufactured) using HPGe detector. The intensities of ã-ray emitted by radioactive nuclides present in the samples were determined. Efficiency of the detector at different energies was determined using standard sources, so that radiation content of the samples can be estimated. Samples from different areas in KSA were collected. These samples were prepared in a form of fine powder suitable to be used by Marinelli beakers. Data for every sample were collected for 36000 s. Soft ware equipped with the detector electronic systemhad been used to analyze the data, hence the results were recorded. The highest measured activity concentrations in the samples are: 48, 42 and 971 Bq.kg-1 for Th- 232, Ra - 226 and K-40, respectively, which are in the range of the corresponding typical worldwide values. The absorbed dose rates, effective dose rates, radium equivalent activities as well as the radiation hazard indices were estimated. Themaximumradiumequivalent activity (Raeq) was 186 Bq kg-1, which is lower than the limit of 370 Bq kg-1 set by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (Exposure to radiation from the natural radioactivity in buildingmaterials. Report by a Group of Experts of the OECD,Nuclear EnergyAgencyOECD, Paris, 1979)