Natural radioactivity in Algerian building materials

Samples of natural and manufactured building materials collected from Algiers have been analysed for Ra-226,Th-232 and K-40 using a high-resolution HPGe gamma -spectrometry system. The specific concentrations for Ra-226, Th-232 and K-40, from the selected building materials, ranged from (12-65 Bq kg(-1)). (7-51 Bq kg(-1)) and (36 675 Bq kg(-1)), respectively. The measured activity concentrations for these natural radionuclides were compared with the reported data of other countries and with the world average activity of soil. Radium-equivalent activities were calculated for the measured samples to assess the radiation hazards arising from using those materials in the construction of dwellings. All building materials showed Ra,, activities lower than the limit set in the OECD report (370 Bq kg(-1)), equivalent to external gamma -dose of 1.5 mSv yr(-1). (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.