building materials; gamma-ray spectrometry; natural radioactivity; radiation hazards; excess lifetime cancer risk; Mayo-Kebbi region; Chad
Abstract :
[en] In order to assess the levels of natural radioactivity and the associated radiological hazards in some building materials of the Mayo-Kebbi region (Chad), a total of nineteen samples were collected on the field. Using a high resolution g-ray spectrometry system, the activity concentrations of radium (226Ra), thorium (232Th) and potassium (40K) in these samples have been determined. The measured average activity concentrations range from 0.56 ± 0.37 Bq kg 1 to 435 ± 7 Bq kg 1, 1.3 ± 0.6 Bq kg 1 to 50.6 ± 1.1 Bq kg 1 and 4.3 ± 2.0 Bq kg 1 to 840 ± 9 Bq kg 1, for 226Ra, 232Th and 40K, respectively. The highest 226Ra average activities is found in soil brick samples of Zabili. The highest mean value of 232Th and 40K concentrations are found in soil brick samples of Madajang. The activity concentration and the radium equivalent activity (Raeq) have been compared to other studies done elsewhere in the world. Their average values are lower than most of those of countries with which the comparison has been made. Were also evaluated, the external radiation hazard index, the internal radiation hazard index, the indoor air absorbed dose rate , the outdoor air absorbed dose rate, the activity utilization index, the annual effective dose, the annual gonadal dose equivalent, the representative level index, as well as, the excess lifetime cancer risk. In accordance with the criterion of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, our results show that soil brick samples of Zabili and Madajang increases the risk of radiation exposure, thereby the possibility of developing cancer by people living in this environment. Based on these findings, brick samples from Zabili and Madajang are not recommended for construction purposes. All other sample materials have properties that are acceptable for use as building materials in terms of radiation hazard.
Disciplines :
Physics
Author, co-author :
Penabei, S.; Centre for Atomic Molecular Physics and Quantum Optics (CEPAMOQ), University of Douala, P.O. Box 8580 Douala, Cameroon
Ackers JG, Bosnjakovic BFM, Straekee L. 1984. Limitation of radioactivity concentrations in building materials based on a practical calculation model. Radiat. Prot. Dosim. 7(1-4): 413-416.
Ademola JA, Farai IP. 2005. Annual effective dose due to natural radionuclides in building blocks in eight cities of southwestern Nigeria. Radiat. Prot. Dosim. 114(4): 524-526.
Aders JG, Den Boier JF, De Jong P, Wolschrijn RA. 1985. Radiation and radon exhalation rates of building materials in the Netherlands. Sci. Total. Environ. 45: 15-165.
Ahmad N, Matiullah, Hussein AJA. 1997. Natural radioactivity in Jordanian building materials and the associated radiation hazards. J. Environ. Radioact. 39: 9-22.
Ahmed N, Hussein A. 1998. Natural radioactivity in Gordanian soil and building materials and the associated radiation hazards. J. Environ. Radioact. 39: 9-22.
Alam MN, Chowdhury MI, Kamal M, Ghose S, Islam MN, Mustafa MN, Miah MMH, Ansary MM. 1999. The 226Ra, 232 Th and 40K activities in beach sand minerals and beach soils of Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. J. Environ. Radioact. 46: 243-250.
Amrani D, Tahtat M. 2001. Natural radioactivity in Algerian building materials. Appl. Radiat. Isot. 54: 687-689.
Asaduzzaman K, Mannan F, Khandaker MU, Farook MS, Elkezza A, Amin YBM. 2015. Assessment of natural radioactivity levels and potential radiological risks of common building materials used in Bangladeshi dwellings. PLoS ONE 10(10): e0140667.
Baykara O, Karatepe S. 2011. Assessments of natural radioactivity and radiological hazards in construction materials used in Elazig, Turkey. Radiat. Meas. 46: 153-158.
Beretka J, Mathew PJ. 1985. Natural radioactivity of Australian building materials, industrial wastes and by-products. Health Phys. 48(1): 87-95.
Bou-Rabee F, Bem H. 1996. Natural radioactivity in building materials utilized in the state of Kuwait. J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem. 213(2): 143-149.
Brigido Flores O, Montalvan Estrada A, Rosa Suarez R, Tomas Zerquera J, Hernandez Perez A. 2008. Natural radionuclide content in building materials and gamma dose rate in dwellings in Cuba. J. Environ. Radioact. 99: 1834-1837.
Chandrasekaran A, Ravisankar R, Senthilkumar G, Thillaivelavand K, Dhinakaran B, Vijayagopal P, Bramha SN, Venkatraman B. 2014. Spatial distribution and lifetime cancer risk due to gamma radioactivity in Yelagiri Hills, Tamilnadu, India. Egypt. J. Basic Appl. Sci. 1: 38-48.
Cosma C, Apostu A, Georgescu D, Begy R. 2009. Evaluation of the radioactivity for different types of cements used in Romania. Rom. J. Mater. 39(2): 134-139.
Dabayneh K. 2007. Radioactivity measurements in different types of fabricated building materials used in Palestine. Arab J. Nucl. Sci. Appl. 40(3): 207.
ECOSIT3. 2013. (Troisième enquête sur la consommation et le secteur informel au Tchad). http://www.inseedtchad.com/IMG/ pdf/ecosit3-rapport-principal-sur-la-pauvrete-tchad-2011-ver sion-publiee-2.pdf.
El-Galy MM, El Mezayn AM, Said AF, El Mowafy AA, Mohamed MS. 2008. Distribution and environmental impacts of some radionuclides in sedimentary rocks atWadi Naseib area, southwest Sinai, Egypt. J. Environ. Radioact. 99: 1075-1082.
El-Mageed AIA, Farid MEA, Saleh EE, MansourM, Mohammed AK. 2014. Natural radioactivity and radiological hazards of some buildingmaterials ofAden, Yemen. J.Geochem. Explor. 140: 41-45.
El-Taher A. 2010. Gamma spectroscopic analysis and associated radiation hazards of building materials used in Egypt. Radiat. Prot. Dosim. 138(2): 158-165.
El-Taher A. 2012. Assessment of natural radioactivity levels and radiation hazards for building materials used in Qassim area, Saudi Arabia. Rom. J. Phys. 57(3-4): 726-735.
Ettenhuber E, Lehmann R. 1986. The collective dose equivalent due to the naturally occurring radionuclides in building materials in the German Democratic Republic. Part 1: external exposure. Health Phys. 50(1): 49-56.
European Commission (EC). 1999. Report on radiological protection principles concerning the natural radioactivity of building materials, radiation protection No. 112. Directorate-General Environment, Nuclear Safety and Civil Protection.
Faheem M, Mujahid SA. 2008. Assessment of radiological hazards due to the natural radioactivity in soil and building material samples collected from six districts of the Punjab province. Pak. Radiat. Meas. 43(8): 1443-1447.
Guembou Shouop CJ, Ndontchueng Moyo M, Chene G, Jilbert Nguelem Mekontso E, Motapon O, Kayo SA, Strivay D. 2017a. Assessment of natural radioactivity and associated radiation hazards in sand building material used in Douala Littoral Region of Cameroon, using gamma spectrometry. Environ. Earth Sci. 76:164.
Guembou Shouop CJ, Samafou P, Moyo MN, Chene G, Mekongtso EJN, Ebongue AN, Motapon O, Strivay D. 2017b. Precision measurement of radioactivity in gamma-rays spectrometry using two HPGe detectors (BEGe-6530 and GC0818-7600SL models) comparison techniques: application to the soil measurement. Methods X 4: 42-54.
Hayumbu P, Zaman MB, Luhaba NCH, Munsanje SS, Nuleya D. 1995. Natural radioactivity in Zambian building materials collected from Lusaka. J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem. 199: 229-238.
Ibrahim N. (1999). Natural activity of 238 U, 232 Th and 40K in building materials. J. Environ Radioact. 43: 555-558.
ICRP. 1991. 1990 Recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection. ICRP Publication 60. Ann. ICRP 21 (1-3).
INSEED (Institut national de la statistique, des études économiques et démographiques). 2009. Deuxième recensement général de la population et de l'habitat (RGPH2, 2009), http://www.ambtchadaltun. com.
Khatibeh AJAH, Maly A, Ahmad N, Matiullah J. 1997. Natural radioactivity in Jordanian construction materials. Radiat. Prot. Dosim. 69(2): 143-147.
Koblinger L. 1984. Calculation of exposure rates from gamma sources in walls of dwelling rooms. Health Phys. 34: 459-463.
Li Y, Lu X, Zhang X. 2016. Radiological hazard assessment of cement and sand used for construction of dwellings in Dingxi, China. Rom. J. Phys. 61(9-10): 1617-1625.
Malanca A, Pessina V, Dallara G, Luce CN, Gaidol L. 1993. Natural radioactivity in building materials from the Brazilian state of Espirito Santo. Appl. Radiat. Isot. 46: 1387-1392.
Mahmoud Pashazadeh A, Aghajani M, Nabipour I, Assadi M. 2014. Annual effective dose from environmental gamma radiation in Bushehr city. J. Environ. Health Sci. Eng. 12: 4.
Mantazul IC, Alam MN, Ahmed AK. 1998. Concentration of radionuclieds in building and ceramic materials of Bangladish and evaluation of radiation hazard. J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem. 231: 117-122.
Mavi B, Akkurt I. 2010. Natural radioactivity and radiation hazards in some building materials used in Isparta, Turkey. Rad. Phys. Chem. 79: 933-937.
NEA-OECD. 1979. Exposure to radiation from natural radioactivity in building materials, Report by NEA Group of Experts, OECD, Paris.
Ngachin M, Garavaglia M, Giovani C, Kwato Njock, Noureldine. 2007. Assessment of natural radioactivity and associated radiation hazards in some Cameronian building materials. Radiat. Meas. 42: 64-67.
Oyamta B, Bayang D, Mianyo D. 2013. Étude sur les Ressources minières et pétrolières dans le Mayo Kebbi Ouest Tchad. Accessed July 31, 2018, on https://www.peaceresources.net/ files/docs/publications/Rapport-Etude-Ressources-mi nes-MKO-25-06-2013.pdf.
Pinnock WR. 1991. Measurements of radioactivity in Jamaican building materials and dose equivalents in a prototype red mud house. Health Phys. 61(5): 647-651.
Raghu Y, Harikrishnan N, Chandrasekaran A, Ravisankar R. 2015. Assessment of natural radioactivity and associated radiation hazards in some building materials used in Kilpenathur, Tiruvannamalai Dist, Tamilnadu, India. Afr. J. Basic Appl. Sci. 7(1): 16-25.
Ravisankar R, Vanasundari K, Chandrasekaran A, Rajalakshmi A, Suganya M, Vijayagopal P, Meenakshisundara V. 2012. Measurement of natural radioactivity in building materials of Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, India using gamma-ray spectrometry. Appl. Radiat. Isot. 70: 699-704.
Rizzo S, Brai M, Basile S, Bellia S, Hauser S. 2001. Gamma activity and geochemical features of building materials: estimation of gamma dose rate and indoor radoon levels in Sicily. Appl. Radiat. Isot. 55: 259-265.
Shams A, Issa M, Alaseri SM. 2015. Determination of natural radioactivity and associated radiological risk in building materials used in TabukArea, SaudiArabia. Int. J. Adv. Sci. Technol. 82: 45-62.
Stoulos S, Manolopoulo M, Papastefanou C. 2003. Assessment of natural radiation exposure and radon exhalation from building materials in Greece. J. Environ. Radioact. 69: 225-240.
Tufail M, Ahmed N, Mirza SM, Khan HA. 1992. Natural radioactivity from building materials used in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Sci. Total Environ. 121: 282-291.
Turhan S, Baykan UN, Sen K. 2008. Measurement of the natural radioactivity in building materials used in Ankara and assessment of external doses. J. Radiol. Prot. 28: 83-91.
Ugbede F, Echeweozo E. 2017. Estimation of annual effective dose and excess lifetime cancer risk from background ionizing radiation levels within and around quarry site in Okpoto-Ezillo, Ebonyi State, Nigeria. J. Environ. Earth Sci. ISSN 2224-3216 (Paper) ISSN 2225-0948 (Online).
UNSCEAR. 1977. United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, 1977. Sources, effects and risks of ionizing radiation. Report to the General Assembly with Annex B: natural sources of radiation. United Nations, New York.
UNSCEAR. 1988. United Nations Scientific Committee on the effects of atomic radiation, sources and effects of ionizing radiation. Report to the General Assembly with Annexes, United Nations, New York.
UNSCEAR. 1993. United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, 1993. Sources, effects and risks of ionizing radiation. Report to the General Assembly with Annex A: exposures from natural sources of radiation. United Nations, New York.
UNSCEAR. 2000. United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, 2000. Sources, effects and risks of ionizing radiation. Report to theGeneral AssemblywithAnnex B: exposures from natural sources of radiation. United Nations, New York.
UNSCEAR. 2010. United Nations Scientific Committee on the effects of atomic radiation, sources and effects of ionizing radiation. Report to the General Assembly with Annexes, United Nations, New York.
Xinwei L, Yang G, Ren C. 2012. Natural radioactivity and radiological hazards of building materials in Xianyang, China. Rad. Phys. Chem. 81780-81784.