Estimating the risk of exposure to internal and external radiation resulting from Portland cement

Abstract

The current study assessed specific activity concentrations in seventeen cement samples from varied origins using a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector. Results shows that the specific activity for (²²⁶Ra) ranged from (10.6 ± 0.7 Bq/kg) in sample number 11, to (59.1 ± 2.4 Bq/kg) in sample number 12. While (²²⁸Ac) ranged from (6.6 ± 1 Bq/kg) in sample number 9 to (10.5 ± 1 Bq/kg) in sample number 7. Moreover, (⁴⁰K) was ranged from (81.4 ± 7.6 Bq/kg) in sample number 12 to (209.5 ± 14.1 Bq/kg) in sample number 7.  The study shows that there are no significant sources of radiation threat in the cement samples, making them safe for use in home construction.