IOSR Journal Of Applied Physics (IOSR-JAP) e-ISSN: 2278-4861.Volume 12, Issue 3 Ser. I (May – June 2020), PP 41-52 www.Iosrjournals.Org DOI: 10.9790/4861-1203014152 www.iosrjournals.org 41 | Page Assessment of Natural Radioactivity and its Associated Hazards in Ras HankorabBeach,South MarsaAlam City,Egypt Manar A.M. Emam 1 ,E. S. AbdEl-Halim 1 , M.A.M. Mahmoud 2 , Nadia Walley El-Dine 1 1 Faculty of women for Arts, Science and Education, Physics Department, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt 2 Nuclear Materials Authority, Cairo, Egypt ABSTRACT Natural radiation levels of gamma ray emitted from 238 U, 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K in the beach sand of Ras Hankorab Area,South MarsaAlam City,Egypt have been carried out using the high purity germanium (HPGe) detector.Radiation hazard indices were calculated to estimate the radiological risk for the public and environment.The mean value of outdoor gamma absorbed dose rate (D out ) for the studied areais 62nGy/h.Also the average value of annual outdoor effective dose (E out ) for analyzed samples were measured and were lower than the acceptable values. The external radiation hazard indices were lower than unity for all samples.The outdoor excess life time cancer risk (ELCR out ) and annual effective dose from radon (AED Rn )for all studied samples are lower than the allowed limits.The important minerals which are found in the studied area using XRD techniqueare;Ilmenite, Rutile, Magnetite, Ggeothite, Garnet, zircon, Sphene, monazite, Uranothorite, Xenotime, and Apatite, as well as fine fragments of feldspars and quartz. Trace elements were analyzed by XRF technique.Sothe beach sand in Ras Hankorab area is safe and not pose any significant source of radiation hazard to the population and the tourists. Keywords: Natural radionuclides - Beach sand - Hazard indices –HPGe --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date of Submission: 13-05-2020 Date of Acceptance: 25-05-2020 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I. Introduction Radiation and radioactivity in the environment have natural and man-made sources(1). Exposure to natural radiation represents the most significant Part of the total exposure to radiation in the environment(2). Only natural radionuclides with half-lives comparable with the age of the earth or their corresponding decay products existing in terrestrial material are of great interest(3). The levels of these radionuclides are relatively distributed in soil based on the nature of its geological formation(4). The study of the activity of natural radionuclides in sands allows us to evaluate the radiological risk due to the external gamma radiation exposure for the population and tourists who spend their holidays in these beaches. In this article, sand samples from the beach of Ras Hankorab along the coastline of Red sea were analyzed to determine the activity concentration of natural gamma-emitting radionuclides(5).The description of the climate in Ras Hankorab area can be summarized as follows: Ras Hankorab area is characterized by arid condition, hot climate,rainless in summer and sometimes with rains in winter. The area is important site because of their unique flora and fauna and therefore, they have been declared as natural protectorates(6). The diverse in geology and climate within the area provide favorable habitat for a wide variety of coastal and desert plants having valuable ecological benefits(7). It is important to have knowledge about the natural background baseline of the radiological aspects so that potential environmental changes for the natural resources in future could be determined with a proper manner. The main concern of this work is to study the environmental radiological aspects in the environment of Ras Hankorab area,the overall objectives are; 1- Todetermine the activity concentrations and distributions of gamma ray emitters radionuclides Ra- 226,(U-238 series),(Th-232 series) and K-40 in sand. 2- To assess their possible associated hazards;The radiological obtain data and information from this study are highly needed to provide a basis for the sustainable development strategies(8). LOCATION Ras Hankorab beach is covered nearly 3km 2 and located on the Red sea coastal plain about 80km south of MarsaAlam city. It is easily accessible through asphalticMarsaAlam –Shalatin Highway(Fig.1).Wadi El Gemal-Ras Hankorab district is characterized by natural features which are tourist resourcesfound at the Red sea