ABSTRACT

Phosphate ore, which may be associated with natural radionuclides, has been used for a long time as a builder in detergents. The daily use and discharge of detergents in wastewater may lead to the accumulation of radionuclides in the environment. Therefore, the current study was carried out to determine the radioactivity levels of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, ⁴⁰K, and ²³⁸U in 15 samples of detergent powders that are widely used in Saudi Arabia, using gamma-ray spectrometry (HPGe). The results showed that these radionuclides were below or similar to the recommended limits, except ²³⁸U in two types of detergent powders. Further, radium equivalent activity (Ra_eq), the outdoor and indoor absorbed dose rate (D), and annual effective dose (E) were calculated to assess the radiological hazard effects due to radionuclides in detergent powders. The results indicate that the analyzed samples of detergent powders are safe for consumers and the environment.

摘要

可能与天然放射性核素有关的磷酸盐矿石作为洗涤剂中的助洗剂已使用了很长时间。废水中清洁剂的日常使用和排放可能导致环境中放射性核素的积累。因此，目前的研究是使用伽马射线光谱法（HPGe）测定沙特阿拉伯广泛使用的15种洗涤剂粉末样品中²²⁶ Ra，²³² Th，⁴⁰ K和²³⁸ U的放射性水平的。结果表明，这些放射性核素低于或类似于建议的限值，但两种洗涤剂粉中的²³⁸ U除外。此外，镭当量活性（Ra _eq），计算室外和室内吸收剂量率（D）和年度有效剂量（E）以评估洗涤剂粉中放射性核素引起的放射性危害效应。结果表明，所分析的洗涤剂粉样品对于消费者和环境都是安全的。