Natural Radioactivity Content in Ceramic, Cement and Marbles Used in Dwellings

Abstract

Four kinds of building materials used for decoration or floor, ceramic, marbles, granite and wood were sampled and their radioactivity concentrations and the contributions ofthe natural radionuclides to the absorbed dose rate were determined. Many kinds ofZ_irconium Silicate used in ceramic industry were also analyzed for their natural radioactivity concentrations, as well as cement, produced in Egypt, as wall material. The measurements were made by high-resolution gamma spectrometry with hyper pure germanium detector Laser Fluorimetry was applied for determining the total uranium content in ceramics, granite and marbles. Results showed that Zirconium ilicate has very high radioactivity concentrations, the average concentrations for 238U and 232Th series were (>2900 and > 500 Bq/kg, respectively). Ceramic samples due to Zircon in glaze has relatively high activity, the average in Bq/kg is 157 range from 34-386 for total uranium, an average of 58 for 232Th, and an average of 660 range from 534-784 for 4°K. The average concentrations of marble are 18.6, 2.6 and 25 Bq/kg for total

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232Tl1 and 4oK

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concentration for granite samples is an average of 67 Bq/kg range from 34-65, and the average concentrations were 27 Bq/kg and 678 Bq/kg for 232Th and 4 °K respectively. The average concentrations for some cement samples are 56.7, 21.5, and 89.8 Bq/kg for 238U, 232Th, and 4°K respectively. The wood sample has concentration of 54.5, 27.0, and 583.0 Bq/kg for 238U, 232Th and 4 °K respectively.