Natural radioactivity levels and radiological implications in the high natural radiation area of Wadi El Reddah, Egypt

• Published in: Journal of radioanalytical and nuclear chemistry Vol. 327; no. 2; pp. 643 - 652
• Main Authors: Tawfic, A. F., Zakaly, Hesham M. H., Awad, Hamdy A., Tantawy, Hesham R., Abbasi, Akbar, Abed, Neveen S., Mostafa, Mostafa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.02.2021; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Background radiation; Chemistry; Chemistry and Materials Science; Diagnostic Radiology; Diorite; Gamma spectroscopy; Hadrons; Heavy Ions; Inorganic Chemistry; Natural radioactivity; Nuclear Chemistry; Nuclear Physics; Physical Chemistry; Porphyry; Radiation, Background; Radium 226; River sediments; Sediments; Egypt; Wadi El Reddah; Gamma-spectroscopy; Activity concentration; Radiological impacts
• ISSN: 0236-5731; 1588-2780
• DOI: 10.1007/s10967-020-07554-2

Wadi El Reddah, Egypt, is mostly enclosed by scattered exposure to the chronological sequence of a metavolcanic and metagabbro-diorite complex. There are radiological impacts due to internal and external exposure to the high natural background radiation caused by 226 Ra, 232 Th, and 40 K in the Wadi El-Reddah stream sediments. 72 samples were collected and the activity concentration was measured using a NaI(Tl) gamma-spectroscopy system. The average activity concentration of 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K was 215 ± 118 Bq kg −1 , 131 ± 90 Bq kg −1 and 822 ± 125 Bq kg −1 , respectively. Most of the studied samples had a higher activity concentration than the world average.