Assessment of Health Risks due to Occupational Exposure to Natural Radioactivity of Some Building Materials in Egypt

Abstract

This study was carried to assess the radiological health risks associated with occupational exposure to natural radioactivity in some of ceramic raw materials and building materials. The concentrations of Ra-226, Th-232, and K-40 were measured using a gamma ray spectrometer equipped with a hyper pure germanium (HPGe) detector. In the present work, the mean values of Ra-226 for fly ash, bauxite, ceramic colors and marble are higher than the world average value of 35 (Bq/kg). The mean values of Th-232 for clay, fly ash, bauxite, ceramic colors, marble and granite are higher than the world average value of 30 (Bq/kg). For K-40, field spar, ceramic colors, marble and granite have mean values that higher than the world average value of 400 (Bq/kg). The radiological health hazard parameters such as radium equivalent activity, absorbed dose rate, annual effective dose rate, excess life time cancer risk, external hazard index and internal hazard index were calculated based on the mean values of these radionuclides. The maximum values of radium equivalent activity, absorbed dose rate, annual effective dose rate, excess life time cancer risk, external hazard index and internal hazard index were 3299.98 (Bq/kg), 4429.658 (nGy/h), 3.703 (mSv/y), 12.962, 8.92 and 15.97; respectively. Also, the equivalent and effective doses due to occupational exposure were calculated with Dose Conversion Factors for External Exposure (DFEXT code).

Keywords

• natural radioactivity
• dfext
• gamma spectroscopy
• radiological risks