Assessment of natural radioactivity and its radiological hazard in some decorative materials in Iraq

Most buildings use decorative materials that are aesthetically pleasing, that may contain various amounts of radioactive elements. Thus, the human health of dwellers and workers is continuously exposed to ionizing radiation. Natural radioactivity (238U, 232Th, and 40K) is measured in decorative materials collected from different Iraqi local markets by utilizing a shielded high counting efficiency NaI(Tl) system. Some radiological hazard indexes in all samples were calculated. The results obtained showed that the maximum value of specific activity for 238U, 232Th, and 40K is in decorative stone and the minimum is measured in decorative alabaster. This study concluded that the natural radioactivity and radiological hazard in most samples of decorative materials were within the permissible limits by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and other world reported. Therefore, most samples of decorative materials in the present study can be used without health risks according to radiation scope.