Abstract
Cement is a building material that is commonly used in construction worldwide and is known to contain varying levels of radionuclides and trace metals. It is obvious that radioactivity in cement poses an immediate source of radiation exposure to workers in the cement industry and general public once cement becomes an integral part of the building's structure. Trace elements present in cement pose an additional health risk not only to workers but also to the surrounding atmosphere. In the present work, radioactivity concentrations and elemental analysis of cement from 9 production sites in Saudi Arabia were performed using gamma-ray spectroscopy and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer. The average concentrations of radionuclides Ra-226, Th-232, and K-40 were found to be (+/- SD) 18.93 +/- 7.81, 15.76 +/- 8.61, and 114.80 +/- 55.51 Bq/kg, respectively. Radium equivalent activities, external hazard indices, and absorbed dose rates were calculated and found to be lower than the recommended limits for safe use of cement as a construction material. The concentrations of twenty major, minor, and trace elements (Na, Mg, Al, Si, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, As, Sr, Ba, La, Ce, Nd, Pb, U) in cement samples were analyzed. With the exception of chromium (Cr), the concentrations of the toxic trace elements in the cement samples were found to be comparable to those reported in the literature. Although the concentrations of toxic trace elements are low, the prolonged exposure of the workers to cement may increase their health risk.