Measurement of Radon Exhalation Rate, Radium Activity and Annual Effective Dose From Bricks and Cement Samples Collected From Dera Ismail Khan

Abstract

Radon concentration, exhalation rate, radium activity and annual effective dose have been measured from baked and unbaked bricks and cement samples commonly used as construction material in the dwellings of Dera Ismail Khan City, Pakistan. CR-39 based NRPB radon dosimeters and RAD7 have been used as passive and active devises. The values of radon concentration for baked, unbaked bricks and cements obtained from passive and active techniques were found in good agreement. Average values of radon exhalation rates in baked, unbaked bricks and cement were found (1.202±0.212) Bq m −2 h −1 , (1.419±0.230) Bq m −2 h −1 and (0.386±0.117) Bq m −2 h −1 and their corresponding average radium activity and annual effective dose were found (0.956±0.169) Bq/kg, (1.13±0.184) Bq/kg, (0.323±0.098) Bq/kg and (33.96±5.99) µSv y −1 , (40.3±6.51) µSv y −1 and (10.94±3.28) µSv y −1 , respectively. Radon concentration, exhalation rate and their corresponding radium activity and annual effective dose were found higher in unbaked bricks as compared to baked bricks and cement but overall values of radon exhalation rate, annual effective dose and radium activity were found well below the world average values of 57.600 Bq m −2 h −1 , 1100 µSv y −1 and 370 Bq/kg, respectively.

Measurement of radon concentration in blood and urine samples collected from female cancer patients using RAD7

“…Silicon is usually used as semiconductor material which directly converts alpha radiation to an electrical signal. Bq m À3 was used as a standard unit in this study (Ahmad et al, 2014).…”

“…Kidney related diseases have also been observed in some people exposed to radon. The reason is that kidney receives the highest dose compared to other body organs after radon is transferred from the lung to the kidney by blood (Ahmad et al, 2014;Henshaw, Eatough, & Richardson, 1990). Radiation plays a significant role in life generally, and in the fields of life sciences and medicine.…”

“…Radon has been considered as second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking (ICRP, 2004). A 2.4 mSv average annual dose has been estimated from natural radiation sources to the world population (Ahmad et al, 2014). One important advantage of solid state devices is the ability to electronically determine the energy of alpha particle (Duggal et al, 2012).…”

Study of radon concentration and toxic elements in drinking and irrigated water and its implications in Sungai Petani, Kedah, Malaysia

“…It has been estimated that the relative health risk of lungs cancer enhances 16% per 100 Bq/ m 3 (Darby et al, 2005). According to UNSCEAR, a 1.2 mSv world average annual effective dose is estimated due to inhalation of radon, thoron and their decay products (Ahmad et al, 2014;UNSCEAR., 2000a). Radon existing in rocks of the earth's terrestrial systems diffuses continuously through water in rocks, which leads the presence of radon in ground water.…”

Determination of Uranium Contents in Soil Samples in AL-Hamdaniya Region Using Solid State Nuclear Track Detector CR-39

“…The detectors were washed and dried, tracks were counted using a microscope at a magnification of 400x. The track densities were measured using the following equation [14]:…”