Natural radioactivity level of clay, ceramic, and stone cooking dishes in Saudi Arabia

International Journal of Physical Sciences

Alharbi W. R.¹ 

关键词: Energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) analyzer;    gamma spectrometry;    radiation hazard;    household cooking dishes;    natural radioactivity.;   

DOI  :  10.5897/IJPS2016.4527

学科分类：物理（综合）

来源: Academic Journals

【 摘 要 】

Standards and guidelines are needed in the manufacture of household cooking dishes from clay, ceramic, and stone in Saudi Arabia. The radioactivity levels due to the presence of 40K, 232Th, and 226Ra in these materials were determined using gamma spectrometry equipped with high purity germanium (HPGe) detector. The activity concentrations of 226Ra ranged from 5.75 Bq kg−1 (Yemen stone sample) to 192.35 Bq kg−1 (China ceramic sample), those of 232Th ranged from 6.17 Bq kg−1 (Yemen stone sample) to 192.41 Bq kg−1 (China ceramic sample), and those of 40K ranged from 43.92 Bq kg−1 (clay sample manufactured in Bahrah, Saudi Arabia) to 656.96 Bq kg−1 (ceramic sample from Romania). Radiological indices were measured for all samples to ascertain the potential radiation health hazards. The average concentrations for 226Ra and 232Th and the absorbed dose rate (DR) in clay and ceramic dishes exceeded the permissible global limits, with the exception of clay samples from Makkah, Saudi Arabia. The 226Ra and 232Th concentrations in all cooking dishes manufactured from stone were within safety limits. However, most of the average values obtained for the activity concentration of 40K exceeded the recommended limit. The radium equivalent (Raeq), annual gonadal dose equivalent (AEDE), external hazard index (Hex), and gamma activity index (Iγ) were found to be below the internationally accepted safe limit, except in a ceramic sample imported from China. The sample also had an annual effective dose (AEDE) that slightly above unity. The concentrations of a total of 33 chemical elements were estimated by using an ARL QUANT’X energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. In most samples, the elements’ concentrations exceeded the reference level values. In conclusion, care must be taken when using cooking dishes manufactured from clay, ceramic, and stone.

【 授权许可】

CC BY