Determination of natural radioactivity and the associated radiation hazards in building materials used in Polur, Tiruvannamalai District, Tamilnadu, India using gamma ray spectrometry with statistical approach

The natural radioactivity in building materials collected from Polur, Tamilnadu has been determined using gamma ray spectrometer. The radiological parameters such as radium equivalent activity (Raeq), absorbed dose rate (DR), annual effective dose rate (HR), alpha index (Iα), gamma-index (Iγ), internal (Hin) and external hazard indices (Hex) were evaluated to assess the radiation hazard for people dwelling in the study area. The calculated radiological parameters were taken for multivariate statistical analysis to study the relation between radionuclides and radiological parameters. The values obtained in the study are within the recommended safety limits, showing that these building materials do not pose any significant radiation hazard and hence the use of these materials in the construction for dwelling purpose can be considered to be safe for the inhabitants.