Assessment of radioactivity and radiological hazards in some flooring materials used in Karbala governorate, Iraq

Abstract The radioactivity concentrations of 40K, 232Th and 238U in 20 specimens of commercial flooring materials used in Karbala governorate, were measured using (HPGe) system. The results of measurements have shown that highest value of specific activity of for 238U which was 294.570Bq/kg (granite; Vietnamese origin), 232Th which was 88.808Bq/kg (granite; Italian origin) and 40K which was 284.580Bq/kg (marbles; Iranian origin), which were less than the worldwide average (UNSCEAR,2000). The various hazard indices were also calculated to assess the radiation hazard. It was found that none of the results exceed the recommended limit value. All specimens in this paper are within the recommended safety limit and do not present huge radiation dangers.