Experimental Evaluation of Radiological Hazards in Ceramic Tiles Used in the Jos-South, Area of Plateau State, Nigeria

Abstract

Radiological hazards resulting from 5 different brands of ceramic tiles commonly used in homes and offices in Jos-south area of
plateau state were assessed in this study by carrying out radioactivity measurement of natural radionuclides (40K, 226Ra and 232Th) in them using a NaI(Tl) gamma ray spectrometer. The ceramic tiles had mean activity concentrations of 44.5, 59.6 and 417.4 Bq kg-1 for 226Ra, 232Th and 40K respectively. The average radium equivalent is within the recommended limit of 370 Bq kg-1 for building materials. The radiological hazard indices such as the gamma absorbed dose rate, annual effective dose, external radiation index (Hex), internal radiation hazard index (Hin), Alpha index (Iα), Gamma index (Iγ), excess lifetime cancer risk, and annual gonadal dose equivalent were evaluated. The results obtained show that the radiological parameters do not exceed the recommended safety limits and hence pose no significant radiological hazard when used as building material.