Comparative Analysis of Natural Radioactivity Content in Tiles made in Nigeria and Imported Tiles from China

In this investigation, natural radioactive contents in tiles manufactured in Nigeria and tiles imported from China were measured using gamma ray spectroscopy. High Purity Germanium detector was used to estimate the concentrations of some radioisotopes present in 17 samples of various tiles from Nigeria and China. The average activity concentrations of (226)Ra, (232)Th, and (40)K for the tiles were found to be 68.2 ± 0.5; 173.9 ± 9.2 and 490 ± 15 Bq/kg and 58.2 ± 0.5, 161.5 ± 9.4 and 455.7 ± 15.1 Bq/kg for the tiles from Nigeria and China respectively. Radiological hazard indices such as absorbed dose rate, radium equivalent activity, external Hazard Index (H(ex)), internal Hazard Index (H(in)), Annual Effective Dose (mSv/y), Gamma activity Index (Iγ) and Alpha Index (Iα) were determined for both kind of tiles from Nigeria and China. The mean values obtained were: 354.56 and 317.16 Bq/kg; 169.22 nGyh(−1) and 153.92 nGyh(−1); 0.95 and 0.87; 1.14 and 1.08; 1.59 mSv/y and 1.52 mSv/y; 1 and 1.15 and; 0.34 and 0.29 respectively. The mean value of radium equivalent obtained in this study is less than that of the international reference value of 370 Bq/kg for the both kind of tiles.