The investigation of natural radioactivity levels in building materials used in Gaziantep region

In this study, the level of radioactivity in building materials used in Gaziantep was determined by using gamma spectrometry system. The gamma-ray spectras of the collected samples were measured by using NaI(Tl) detector and the specific activities of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K were identified from these spectras. It was found that the activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K were ranging from 9,52±3,65 Bq/kg to 123,89±5,89 Bq/kg, 15,72±11,50 Bq/kg to 50,88±7,40 Bq/kg and 94,94±47,20 Bq/kg to 871,29±36,10 Bq/kg, respectively. The absorbed dose rate indoor, the absorbed dose rate outdoor, the annual effective dose, the radium equivalent activity, the external hazard index, the internal hazard index and the gamma index were also found to be ranging from 28,54 nGy/h to 200,86 nGy/h, 15,37 nGy/h to 104,03 nGy/h, 0,14 mSv/y to 0,99 mSv/y, 34,07 Bq/kg to 224,07 Bq/kg, 0,09 to 0,61, 0,12 to 0,94, 0,11 to 0,93, respectively. In conclussion, the results indicate that there is no radiological hazard in the region of Gaziantep.