Author(s)

M. Azmary Khatun¹, J. Ferdous², M. M. Haque^1*

¹Department of Physics, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, Bangladesh.
²Health Physics Division, Atomic Energy Center (AEC), Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The radioactivity concentrations of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K in 24 samples of natural and manufactured building materials commonly used in Bangladesh were measured using HPGe gamma ray spectrometer. The results in the present study were compared with the world average and also with the reported data available in literature. The radium equivalent activity, the absorbed dose rate, annual effective dose, external and internal hazard indices, gamma index, alpha index, annual gonadal dose equivalent and excess lifetime cancer risk were also evaluated to assess the potential radiation hazards associated with these building materials. All samples under investigation were found to be within the recommended safety limit and do not pose any significant radiation hazards. This study can be used as a reference for more extensive studies of the same subject in future.

Natural Radioactivity, Building Materials, HPGe Detector, Radiation Hazards

Khatun, M. , Ferdous, J. and Haque, M. (2018) Natural Radioactivity Measurement and Assessment of Radiological Hazards in Some Building Materials Used in Bangladesh. Journal of Environmental Protection, 9, 1034-1048. doi: 10.4236/jep.2018.910064.