A study of Natura
A study of Natural Radioactivity in the Welding Workshops Waste
Physics Department, Girls Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia
Abstract: In this study, the natural radio activities of 40K, 226Ra,and 232Th and the man- made of 137Cs in samples of solid wastes of (TIG) welding process, collected from the welding workshops in different locations of Saudi Arabia (Jeddah, Asfan and Tabuk). The concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, 40K and 137Cs were determined by gamma-ray spectrometer using HPGe detector. The results show that the average concentrations were 44.8,50.23,431.82 and 1.5 Bq /Kg, respectively. Rradium equivalent activities of the samples under consideration were calculated with an average value of 127 Bq/Kg. The total absorbed dose in the study samples ranged between the lower value (0.027) mGy/h (sample No.4) to the higher value (0.628) mGy/h (sample No.5), with an average value of (0.19) mGy/h which is lower than the limits as recommended by (UNSCEAR 2000). Also, heavy metals analyses were done by atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The concentration’s average values of Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Bi, Pb and Th elements in the samples of Welding Workshops Waste were 1.02%, 63.18%, 0.25%, 0.25%, 76.99 ppm, 62.87 ppm and 17.63 ppm, respectively. The data were discussed and compared with limits given by United Nations Scientific Committee for the effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR).
[Zain M. Alamoudi. A study of Natural Radioactivity in the Welding Workshops Waste. J Am Sci 2013;9(6):400-405]. (ISSN: 1545-1003). http://www.jofamericanscience.org. 48
Key words: Welding workshops waste, Natural radioactivity, gamma spectrometry. Full Text 48
