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Natural radioactivity levels and radiological implications in the high natural radiation area of Wadi El Reddah, Egypt

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Abstract

Wadi El Reddah, Egypt, is mostly enclosed by scattered exposure to the chronological sequence of a metavolcanic and metagabbro-diorite complex. There are radiological impacts due to internal and external exposure to the high natural background radiation caused by 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K in the Wadi El-Reddah stream sediments. 72 samples were collected and the activity concentration was measured using a NaI(Tl) gamma-spectroscopy system. The average activity concentration of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K was 215 ± 118 Bq kg−1, 131 ± 90 Bq kg−1 and 822 ± 125 Bq kg−1, respectively. Most of the studied samples had a higher activity concentration than the world average.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nuclear Engineering Department, Military Technical College, Cairo, Egypt

    A. F. Tawfic

  2. Institute of Physics and Technology, Ural Federal University, Yekaterinburg, 620002, Russia

    Hesham M. H. Zakaly & Mostafa Mostafa

  3. Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Assuit Branch, 71524, Egypt

    Hesham M. H. Zakaly

  4. Southern Federal University, 344103, Rostov-on-Don, Zorge st., 40, Russia

    Hamdy A. Awad

  5. Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Assuit Branch, Assuit, 71524, Egypt

    Hamdy A. Awad

  6. Chemical Engineering Department, Military Technical College, Cairo, Egypt

    Hesham R. Tantawy

  7. Faculty of Engineering, University of Kyrenia, Mersin 10, Girne, Turkey

    Akbar. Abbasi

  8. Nuclear Materials Authority El Kattamiya, Cairo, Egypt

    Neveen S. Abed

  9. Faculty of Science, Department of Physics, Minia University, El-Minia, Egypt

    Mostafa Mostafa

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  1. A. F. Tawfic
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  2. Hesham M. H. Zakaly
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Correspondence to Hesham M. H. Zakaly or Akbar. Abbasi.

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Tawfic, A.F., Zakaly, H.M.H., Awad, H.A. et al. Natural radioactivity levels and radiological implications in the high natural radiation area of Wadi El Reddah, Egypt. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 327, 643–652 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-020-07554-2

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