Assessment of radiation dose due to natural radionuclides in various cement samples

Samples of Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC) from five companies were analysed for the measurement of 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K using a HPGe detector based on high-resolution gamma spectrometry system. The measured activity in the selected OPC cement samples varies from 19.24 Bq kg −1 (JK Laxmi) to 40.73 Bq kg −1 (JayPee), 29.49 Bq kg −1 (JK Laxmi) to 42.17 Bq kg −1 (JayPee) and 228.25 Bq kg −1 (JK Cement) to 304.98 Bq kg −1 (Binani) for 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K, respectively. The concentration of radium, thorium and potassium in the selected PPC cement samples varies from 22.50 Bq kg −1 (JK Laxmi) to 48.83 Bq kg −1 (Binani), 30.74 Bq kg −1 (JK Laxmi) to 70.48 Bq kg −1 (Binani) and 267.94 Bq kg −1 (Binani) to 328.88 Bq kg −1 (JayPee), respectively. Radium equivalent, annual effective dose, absorbed dose and hazard indices were also calculated for the measured samples.