Natural Radioactivity of Ground and Drinking Water in Some Areas of Upper Egypt

Concentrations of natural radionuclides (Ra and Th) in ground and drinking waters of some areas in Upper Egypt were determined by gamma ray spectrometry with a HPGe detector setup, coaxial type and 8192 channels MCA. The investigated waters differed in radioactivity content depending on their origin and place. In drinking water in Qena, Upper Egypt, the mean Ra concentration was 1.32 ± 0.7 pCi/l. In ground water in Safaga and Quseir, the Red Sea region, where there are phosphate mines, Ra and Th mean values were 3.05 ± 0.9 and 1.39 ± 0.6 pCi/l. A mean annual effective dose taken into the body by the population drinking this tap water may account for 0.008 mSv, which is lower than the limit recommended by the WHO.