Specific activity and hazards of granite samples collected from the Eastern Desert of Egypt

Arafa, W.

doi:10.1016/j.jenvrad.2004.01.004

Cited by 174 publications

(91 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…In addition, the identity and geographic origin of the stones included in this study is not known precisely because naming practices for granite are not standardized (Anjos et al, 2005). Nonetheless, the activity concentrations for 40 K, and the 232 Th and 226 Ra series observed in these stones are within the range reported for granite building materials in the scientific literature (Mustonen, 1984;NCRP, 1987a;Mustapha et al, 1997;Chowdhury, Alam and Ahmed, 1998;European Commission, 1999;Lee, Kim, Lee and Kang, 2001;IAEA, 2003;Kumar, Sengupta and Prasada, 2003;Arafa, 2004;Ahmed, 2005;ICRP, 2005;Al-Saleh and Al-Berzan, 2007;El-Taher, Uosif and Orabi, 2007;Lu, Wang, Jia and Wang, 2007;Ghosh et al, 2008;Kitto, Haines and Diaz Arauzo, 2008;Mujahid et al, 2008). Therefore, these samples of granite intended for use as interior work surfaces contain amounts of naturally occurring radioactive materials that are similar to levels in other types of granite building materials reported in the literature for which larger numbers of samples have been examined.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

“…A number of studies have reported on the concentrations of natural radionuclides (i.e., activity concentrations) for granite samples obtained from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, South Korea, China, Brazil, Kenya, and Finland (Mustonen, 1984;NCRP, 1987a;Mustapha et al, 1997;Chowdhury et al, 1998;European Commission, 1999;Lee et al, 2001;IAEA, 2003;Kumar et al, 2003;Arafa, 2004;Ahmed, 2005;ICRP, 2005;Al-Saleh and Al-Berzan, 2007;El-Taher et al, 2007;Lu et al, 2007;Ghosh et al, 2008;Kitto et al, 2008;Mujahid et al, 2008). Although the activity concentrations for the majority of those samples were below health-based screening levels and exposure guidelines used in the US, Europe, and elsewhere, a portion of the granite samples had a radiation hazard index that exceeded the European Commission (EC) screening value for limited use as superficial building materials (external dose of 0.3 mSv/a) (European Commission, 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessing exposure to granite countertops—part 1: Radiation

Myatt¹,

Allen²,

Minegishi³

et al. 2009

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol

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Humans are continuously exposed to low levels of ionizing radiation. Known sources include radon, soil, cosmic rays, medical treatment, food, and building products such as gypsum board and concrete. Little information exists about radiation emissions and associated doses from natural stone finish materials such as granite countertops in homes. To address this knowledge gap, gross radioactivity, g ray activity, and dose rate were determined for slabs of granite marketed for use as countertops. Annual effective radiation doses were estimated from measured dose rates and human activity patterns while accounting for the geometry of granite countertops in a model kitchen. Gross radioactivity, g activity, and dose rate varied significantly among and within slabs of granite with ranges for median levels at the slab surface of ND to 3000 cpm, ND to 98,000 cpm, and ND to 1.5EÀ4 mSv/h, respectively. The maximum activity concentrations of the 40 K, 232 Th, and 226 Ra series were 2715, 231, and 450 Bq/kg, respectively. The estimated annual radiation dose from spending 4 h/day in a hypothetical kitchen ranged from 0.005 to 0.18 mSv/a depending on the type of granite. In summary, our results show that the types of granite characterized in this study contain varying levels of radioactive isotopes and that their observed emissions are consistent with those reported in the scientific literature. We also conclude from our analyses that these emissions are likely to be a minor source of external radiation dose when used as countertop material within the home and present a negligible risk to human health.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 90%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing exposure to granite countertops—part 1: Radiation

Myatt¹,

Allen²,

Minegishi³

et al. 2009

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…II). (Beretka and Mathew, 1985;Arafa, 2004). The radium equivalent can be estimated using the equation (Beretka and Mathew, 1985;Ademola and Atare, 2010) purposes in terms of radiological hazard the radium equivalent activity must not exceed 370 Bq.kg -1 .…”

Section: Activity Concentrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Most natural rocks contain 40 K and the decay series of 238 U and 232 Th. The concentrations of natural radionuclides in rocks vary considerably depending on the rock formation and lithologic character (Anjos et al, 2005;Abd and Saleh, 2003;Arafa, 2004).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measurement of natural radionuclides and dose assessment of granites from Ondo State, Nigeria

Ademola

Ayeni

2010

Radioprotection

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“…Radon flux for these stones has been previously reported to range from 0.01 to 13.5 Bq/m 2 /h among B500 samples of structural and unidentified granite building materials obtained from several nations of Africa, Asia, and the Middle East (Khan et al, 1992;Chao and Tung, 1999;El-Dine et al, 2001;al-Jarallah, 2001;al-Jarallah et al, 2001al-Jarallah et al, , 2005Petropoulos et al, 2002;Fazal ur et al, 2003;Stoulos et al, 2003;Sundar et al, 2003;Arafa, 2004;Osmanlioglu, 2006;Singh et al, 2008;Sonkawade et al, 2008). The extent to which the granite samples examined in those studies represent inventories of natural stone countertops has not been evaluated.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Assessing exposure to granite countertops—part 2: Radon

Allen¹,

Minegishi²,

Myatt³

et al. 2009

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol

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Radon gas ( 222 Rn) is a natural constituent of the environment and a risk factor for lung cancer that we are exposed to as a result of radioactive decay of radium ( 226 Ra) in stone and soil. Granite countertops, in particular, have received recent media attention regarding their potential to emit radon. Radon flux was measured on 39 full slabs of granite from 27 different varieties to evaluate the potential for exposure and examine determinants of radon flux. Flux was measured at up to six pre-selected locations on each slab and also at areas identified as potentially enriched after a full-slab scan using a Geiger-Muller detector. Predicted indoor radon concentrations were estimated from the measured radon flux using the CONTAM indoor air quality model. Whole-slab average emissions ranged from less than limit of detection to 79.4 Bq/m 2 /h (median 3.9 Bq/m 2 /h), similar to the range reported in the literature for convenience samples of small granite pieces. Modeled indoor radon concentrations were less than the average outdoor radon concentration (14.8 Bq/m 3 ; 0.4 pCi/l) and average indoor radon concentrations (48 Bq/m 3 ; 1.3 pCi/l) found in the United States. Significant within-slab variability was observed for stones on the higher end of whole slab radon emissions, underscoring the limitations of drawing conclusions from discrete samples.

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Specific activity and hazards of granite samples collected from the Eastern Desert of Egypt

Cited by 174 publications

References 5 publications

Assessing exposure to granite countertops—part 1: Radiation

Assessing exposure to granite countertops—part 1: Radiation

Measurement of natural radionuclides and dose assessment of granites from Ondo State, Nigeria

Assessing exposure to granite countertops—part 2: Radon

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