title: Collective effective dose received by the population of Egypt from building materials.
abstract: Natural radioactivity due to the presence of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in selected building materials (cement, sand, bricks, gypsum and ceramic) used in Egypt was measured using a gamma-ray spectrometer with an HPGe detector. The average activity concentrations observed in different building materials ranged from 10.0 +/- 1.3 to 109 +/- 6, <2 to 55.8 +/- 2.2 and 5.5 +/- 1.7 to 684 +/- 34 Bq kg(-1) for 226Ra, 232Th and 40K, respectively. Based on these, together with previously reported results, the effective doses received by the residents of different types of house within all Egyptian governorates were assessed using the WinMat computer program. The results were below 1 mSv a(-1) in all cases. The collective effective dose indoors was assessed as 15,000 man Sv and the excess effective dose due to building materials was 0.07 mSv a(-1).
authors.affiliation: STUK--Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, PO Box 14, 00881 Helsinki, Finland. tuukka.turtiainen@stuk.fi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Turtiainen
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Salahel-Din
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Klemola
authors.forename: A-P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Sihvonen
mesh_terms: D003252:Construction Materials; D004534:Egypt; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D006801:Humans; D011197:Potassium Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011834:Radiation Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D011874:Radiometry; D011886:Radon / Q000032:analysis; D013051:Spectrometry, Gamma; D013910:Thorium / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D011197:Potassium Radioisotopes; D013910:Thorium; D011886:Radon