Assessment of the External and Internal Exposure Risk Index and the Annual Gonadals Equivalent Dose Due to Cement in Côte D'Ivoire

Abstract

Cement is the most used material in bulding activities in Côte d'Ivoire. Thus, most of the radiation exposure from the building materials is due to the cement. This work is part of radiation protection logic and therefore to assess the level of exposure due to the cement used in Côte d'Ivoire. In this study, samples of gray and white cement whose are sold on Ivorian territory were examined. To carry out this study, we analyzed these samples using a gamma spectrometer. This consisted mainly of a scintillation detector NaI (Tl) and an acquisition system both designed by the German group-LD Didactic. The specific activity of radionuclides that are 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K was evaluated. The average values obtained are 29.66 Bq/kg for 226 Ra; 34.88 Bq/kg for the 232Th; 178.424 Bq/kg for 40K. These are all lower than the limit values recommended by the United Nations Scientific Committee on Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR). In order to assess the radiological impact of these activities, we estimated the external and internal exposure risk indices and the annual gonadals equivalent dose (AGED). The values obtained for these parameters are well below those recommended by UNSCEAR for internal and external exposure indices, and below the world average (except for CG3 sample) for the AGED. These results suggest that the risk to the use of these different cement brands is low.