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Measurement of Radium Content and Radon Exhalation Rates in Egyptian Construction Material Samples Using the Sealed-Cup Technique and LR-115 Detectors |
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PP: 123-129 |
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doi:10.18576/jrna/100205
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Author(s) |
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Ahmed Saad Hussein,
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Abstract |
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| As a potential source of indoor radiation arising from radon, a range of construction material samples were collected from the local market in Egypt (black cement, white cement, gypsum, sand, clay brick, red brick, cement brick, marble, limestone, and ceramic) and studied for radium content, radon exhalation rates, and alpha index. The sealed–cup technique based on LR-115 nuclear track detectors was used. Radium content was found to vary from 1.93 (Gypsum S5) to 360.21 (Cement brick S13) Bq kg-1 with a mean value of 68.76 Bq kg-1. Mass exhalation rate was found to vary from 5.75x10-9(Gypsum S5) to 1073.43x10-9 (Cement brick S13) Bq kg-1h-1 with a mean value of 206.70 x10-9 Bq kg-1h-1. Area (surface) exhalation rate varied between 0.30x10-6(Gypsum S5) and 55.80x10-6 (Cement brick S13) Bq m-2h-1 with a mean value of 10.65 x 10-6 Bq m-2h -1. Alpha index varied from 0.01 (Gypsum S5 & S6) to 1.8 (Cement brick S13) with a mean value of 0.34. These results were shown to be less than their corresponding world limits except for cement brick. The radium content and both mass and area exhalation rates in the studied samples do not pose a risk to human health except for cement brick. |
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