Radiological Hazards and Natural Radionuclide Distribution in Granitic Rocks of Homrit Waggat Area, Central Eastern Desert, Egypt

El Saeed R Lasheen; Mokhles K Azer; Antoaneta Ene; Wael Abdelwahab; Hesham M H Zakaly; Hamdy A Awad; Nilly A Kawady

doi:10.3390/ma15124069

Radiological Hazards and Natural Radionuclide Distribution in Granitic Rocks of Homrit Waggat Area, Central Eastern Desert, Egypt

Materials (Basel). 2022 Jun 8;15(12):4069. doi: 10.3390/ma15124069.

Authors

El Saeed R Lasheen¹, Mokhles K Azer², Antoaneta Ene³, Wael Abdelwahab², Hesham M H Zakaly^{4

5}, Hamdy A Awad⁶, Nilly A Kawady⁷

Affiliations

¹ Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Cairo P.O. Box 11884, Egypt.
² Geological Sciences Department, National Research Centre, 33 El Bohooth St. (Former El Tahrir St.), Dokki, Giza P.O. Box 12622, Egypt.
³ INPOLDE Research Center, Department of Chemistry, Physics and Environment, Faculty of Sciences and Environment, Dunarea de Jos University of Galati, 47 Domneasca Street, 800008 Galati, Romania.
⁴ Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Assiut Branch, Assiut 71524, Egypt.
⁵ Institute of Physics and Technology, Ural Federal University, Yekaterinburg 620002, Russia.
⁶ Geology Department, Faculty of Science, Al-Azhar University, Assiut Branch, Assiut 71524, Egypt.
⁷ Geochemical Exploration Department, Nuclear Materials Authority, El Maadi, Cairo P.O. Box 530, Egypt.

Abstract

Natural radioactivity, radiological hazard, and petrological studies of Homrit Waggat granitic rocks, Central Eastern Desert, Egypt were performed in order to assess their suitability as ornamental stone. On the basis of mineralogical and geochemical compositions, Homrit Waggat granitic rocks can be subdivided into two subclasses. The first class comprises granodiorite and tonalite (I-type) and is ascribed to volcanic arc, whereas the second one includes alkali-feldspar granite, syenogranite, and albitized granite with high-K calc alkaline character, which is related to post-orogenic granites. ²³⁸U, ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K activities of natural radionuclides occurring in the examined rocks were measured radiometrically using sodium iodide detector. Furthermore, assessment of the hazard indices-such as: annual effective dose (AED) with mean values (0.11, 0.09, 0.07, 0.05, and 0.03, standard value = 0.07); gamma radiation index (Iγ) with mean values (0.6, 0.5, 0.4, 0.3, and 0.14, standard value = 0.5); internal (Hin) with mean values (0.6, 0.5, 0.4, 0.3, and 0.2, standard value = 1.0); external (Hex) index (0.5, 0.4, 0.3, 0.24, and 0.12, standard value = 1.0); absorbed gamma dose rate (D) with mean values (86.4, 75.9, 53.5, 43.6, and 20.8, standard value = 57); and radium equivalent activity (Raeq) with mean values (180, 154, 106.6, 90.1, and 42.7, standard value = 370)-were evaluated with the knowledge of the natural radionuclides. The result of these indices falls within the acceptable worldwide limits. Therefore, we suggest that these rocks are safe to be used in industrial applications.

Keywords: granitic rocks; natural radioactivity; radiological health assessment.

Grants and funding

The researcher (Hamdy A. Awad) is funded by a scholarship under the Joint Executive Program between Egypt and Russian Federation. The work of the author A.E. and the APC were funded by the “Dunarea de Jos” University of Galati, Romania and grant no. RF 3621/2021.