Assessment of radiation hazards due to natural radioactivity in some building materials used in Egyptian dwellings.

Different types of Egyptian building materials from various locations in Cairo and its suburbs have been analysed for natural radioactivity using gamma ray spectrometry. Concentrations of (226)Ra, (232)Th and (40)K were in the ranges of (12 +/- 2.8-65 +/- 6.5), (5 +/- 1.8-60 +/- 6.7) and (159 +/- 3.8-920 +/- 12.7 Bq kg(-1)), respectively. The minimum concentration of (226)Ra, (232)Th and (40)K was found in gravel samples, whereas the maximum in granite samples. The results are compared with the published data of other countries and with the world average limits. The radiological hazard parameters: radium equivalent activity, gamma index, alpha index, absorbed dose rate and the annual exposure rate, were determined to assess the radiation hazards associated with Egyptian buildings. All studied samples are lower than world average limits.