Radon and thoron measurements in ancient Egyptian places using developed nuclear techniques

Abstract

Radon (222Rn) significantly contributes to the natural radioactivity of the Earth’s crust. It is a noble gas and has a relatively long physical halflife, leading to a great mobility to reach considerable distances in different geological environments. Radon exists everywhere with different concentrations in rock, soil, deep water, subsurface, atmosphere and indoor air. According to the level of radon and the duration of its exposure, radon is considered to be one of the toxic substances that may induce health hazards; coming from its radioactive decay products trapped in lungs which depositing α- particle energy in tissue. Many archeological sites in Egypt are worldwide unique, such as ancient tombs and pyramids, because they document fundamental developments in human civilization that took place several thousands of years ago. For this reason; these sites are visited by numerous visitors every year. In this dissertation, radon concentrations in some important tombs that are located in two different archeological regions were studied. The first region is the Valley of the Kings in Luxor (650 km south of Cairo) while the second region is Saqqara (28 km southwest Cairo).