Gamma activity as a guide for the building raw materials selection and controlling the environmental hazards

Abstract

The spectrometric measurements can provide an alarm for the radiation activity and radioelement concentra-tions. The activity increase over the ambient background can be achieved by well calibrated gamma-spectrometers. In comparison between Wadi El-Dahl and Abu Zawal quarries for building raw materials (feld-spar), the activity concentration of El-Dahl stream sediments are 54.5 and 44.5 Bq/kg for uranium and thorium respectively. While the activity concentration of Abu Zawal rock quarry are 167.03 and 79.77 Bq/kg for uranium and thorium respectively. These activities yielding effective dose rates of 0.63 mSv/y for Wadi El-Dahl stream sediments and 1.48 mSv/y for Abu Zawal rock quarry. In summary, the spectrometric measurements are excellent selective tool to monitoring the environment against the radiation risk. In this aspect, Wadi El-Dahl stream sedi-ment quarry considered as the more suitable for producing feldspar as a raw materials to building industry. In comparison, Abu Zawal rock quarry has a higher effective dose rate exceeds the international permissible limits which is 1 mSv/y. A total of 19 feldspar samples were completely described regarding their general chemical fea-tures by using x-ray fluorescence. From the study all the samples contain high concentration of barium and ru-bidium which can separate using different methods in order to use in different important industry.

Keywords

• ground spectrometric survey
• x-ray fluorescence
• feldspar.