Determination of Radon and Natural Radioactivity Concentration in Some Building Materials Used in Izmir, Turkey (original) (raw)
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Natural radiation exposure and radon exhalation rate of building materials used in Turkey
Nuclear Technology and Radiation Protection, 2018
Measuring the natural radioactivity levels and radon exhalation rates (surface and mass) in building materials is essential to evaluate the extent of radiation exposure (external and internal) for residents in dwellings. Gamma-ray spectrometry with a high purity germanium detector was used to measure the activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K in some building materials used in Turkey. Moreover, an active radon gas analyser with an accumulation container was used to measure their radon surface and mass exhalation rates. Results showed that the activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K varied from 5.2 ? 0.6 (satin plaster) to 187.0 ? 2.4 (granite) Bqkg-1, 2.6 ? 0.8 (gypsum) to 172.2 ? 7.6 (granite) Bqkg-1 and 12.3 ? ? 17.0 (sand) to 1958.0 ? 83.4 (brick) Bqkg-1, respectively. Radon surface and mass exhalation rates varied from 2.9 (marble) to 2734.6 mBqm-2h-1(granite) and 0.033 (marble) to 53.866 mBqkg-1h-1 (granite), respectively. The activity concentration index, in...
Radiation Measurements, 2011
Building materials contain natural radionuclides (238U, 232Th and 40K) and therefore cause direct radiation exposure to the public. The radioactivity content of samples obtained from building materials produced in Elazig city, East Anatolian of Turkey, have been analyzed by gamma-ray spectrometry. However, radium equivalent activities, total and annual effective dose rate and external (gamma), internal (alpha) hazard indexes were calculated and radon concentration, radon specific exhalation rate and effective radium content were measured. Also, indoor radon measurements carried out in each floor (uninhabited) of rough construction (newly construction). The specific concentrations of 238U, 232Th and 40K, from selected building materials, ranged from 3.5 to 114.1 Bq/kg, 1.6–20.7 Bq/kg and 201.4–4928.0 Bq/kg, respectively. The lowest of Raeq is 36.5 ± 1.8 Bq/kg calculated in bricks while the highest value is 405.2 ± 20.9 Bq/kg in gas concrete. The average indoor radon concentration is 364.3 Bqm−3, which is higher than the global mean value, in newly constructed floor.
Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2021
Radiometric measurement of building materials is very important to assess the internal and external exposure caused by the ionizing radiation emitted from terrestrial radionuclides in building materials. The activity concentrations of 226 Ra, 232 Th, and 40 K in fifty-eight samples of fifteen different structural and covering building materials commonly used in Osmaniye province located in the Mediterranean region of Turkey were measured by using gamma-ray spectroscopy. The activity concentrations of 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K varied from 2.5 ± 0.1 (marble) to 145.7 ± 4.4 (clay brick), 1.3 ± 0.1 (marble) to 154.3 ± 4.1 (marble) and 8.6 ± 0.2 (sand) to 1044.1 ± 70.3 (granite), respectively. Radiological parameters (activity concentration index, alpha index, indoor absorbed gamma dose rate and the corresponding annual effective dose rate, and excess lifetime cancer risk) were estimated to evaluate the health hazards associated with these building materials. Since the estimated values of these parameters are within the recommended safety limits or criteria values, the use of the studied building materials in the construction of dwellings can be considered to be safe for the residents of the region.
Natural radioactivity and radiation hazards in some building materials used in Isparta, Turkey
Radiation Physics and Chemistry, 2010
Radioactive nuclei were created at the beginning of the Universe and with a long half-life, are still present in Earth's crust. The radiations due to the radionuclides contribute to natural background radiation. This generally occurs in ground-source materials (stone, soil, rocks, etc.) in different concentrations. The levels of radiation are due to the uranium, thorium and potassium present in the material. In this study, the natural radioactivity concentrations of coals extracted in Suluova have been determined using a NaI(Tl) γ-ray spectrometer system. The radium equivalent activities of the samples were all below the recommended limit values (370 Bq kg −1). The value of external hazard indices is less than unity.
2014
ABSTRACT As building materials are known to be the second source regarding high radon concentrations, it is very important to determine the amounts of natural radionuclides from every building material in use. In the present study the most frequently used Romanian natural (sand, gypsum, limestone) and artificial (portland cement, lime, clinker, electrofilter powder, fly ash, cement-lime plaster mortar, cement plaster mortar) building materials were analyzed. The absorbed dose rate and the annual effective dose equivalent rate for people living in dwelling buildings made of these building materials under investigation were also calculated. The analysis was performed with gamma-ray spectrometry, with two hyper-pure germanium detectors. The activity concentrations of natural radionuclides were in the ranges: 5.2–511.8 Bq kg−1 for 226Ra; 0.6–92.6 Bq kg−1 for 232Th and −1 for 40K, respectively. The radium equivalent activity in the fifty-one (51) samples varied from 9 to 603 Bq kg−1. By calculating all the radioactivity indices (Raeq, H ext, I α, I yr) it was found that all the building materials under investigation can be used to erect dwelling buildings. Except for sample SA6, SA7 and SA11 among the natural building materials and sample SG1, SG2, FAH1, CLM1, CM1 among the artificial building materials that are considered hazardous materials when are used in large quantities.
Natural radioactivity in common building construction and radiation shielding materials
Commonly used building construction materials, radiation shielding bricks, hematite aggregate and other materials have been analyzed for the activity concentration of the natural radionuclides, namely 238 U, 232 Th and 40 K, besides the radon exhalation rates. The activity concentration for 238 U, 232 Th and 40 K varies from 2971 to 9874 Bq kg À1 , 2072 to 11272.8 Bq kg À1 , and 20078 to 1908715.6 Bq kg À1 , respectively, in various materials studied in the present work. Radon activity in the various samples varies from 190711 to 313714 Bq m À3 , the mass exhalation rate for radon varies from 1.0570.07 to 1.9270.09 mBq kg À1 h À1 and surface exhalation rate varies from 9.070.30 to 19.8722 mBq m À2 h À1 for materials under investigation. The activity concentrations of uranium, thorium and potassium and radon exhalation rates vary from material to material. Thorium and potassium activity in the granite materials is higher, followed by radiation shielding material compared to other common construction materials. Uranium activity concentration is higher in cement as compared to radiation shielding material and other common construction materials. The absorbed dose varies from 23 to 185 nGy h À1 and the indoor annual effective dose varies from 0.11 to 0.91 mSv. The outdoor annual effective dose varies from 0.03 to 0.23 mSv. The absorbed dose and the effective dose equivalent are found to be higher in the granite, followed by radiation shielding material and other common construction materials. In all the samples, the activity concentration of 238 U, 232 Th and 40 K is found below the permissible levels. A strong correlation coefficient has been observed between radon activity and surface exhalation rate (correlation coefficient ¼ 0.899).
2019
The activity concentrations obtained from the measured samples were used to estimate the radiological risks of radium equivalent activity (Raeq) in the construction substance. The activity concentrations of few samples were found to exceed the international recommended points. But, the largest radium equivalent activity (Raeq) acquired from this research is less than the peak dose limit of one as stipulated by global recommendation. The correlation coefficient between the dose rate and Raeq activity indicated positive, revealing that increase in Raeq, enhances the dose exposure to the dwellers. Chi-square plot of Raeq activity against the samples revealed that royal ceramic tiles could be the most stable, having their raw materials (geologic material) components in equal and balanced proportions. It may also indicate that Royal ceramics has relationship with all other samples (as per composition). The whiskers indicate upper and lower quartiles, so the box spans the interquartile ra...
Materiales de Construcción, 2020
In this study, mass activity of naturally occurring radioactive materials were measured in twenty-three building material samples, use extensively in the area exposed to a high level of natural background radiation (Mahallat, Iran), to determine the radioactivity index and changes to the level of indoor gamma radiation. The mass activity of 232 Th, 226 Ra and 40 K were within the ranges from 18 ± 3 to 44 ± 10 Bq/kg (average of 27 ± 6 Bq/kg), 22 ± 5 to 53 ± 14 Bq/kg (average of 34 ± 6 Bq/kg) and 82 ± 18 to 428 ± 79 Bq/kg (average of 276 ± 58 Bq/kg), respectively. The gamma dose rates for population were estimated between 48 ± 9 and 111 ± 26 nGy/h with exception of radon exhalation from building materials. Since the air kerma rate in the town varies from 0.8 to 4 µGy/h, the attenuation coefficient was calculated for buildings made of the afore-mentioned materials. Additionally, the annual gamma radiation doses for inhabitants were calculated based on time spent outdoors and indoors.
Radiation Protection Dosimetry, 2013
It is very important to determine the levels of the natural radioactivity in construction materials and radon exhalation rate from these materials for assessing potential exposure risks for the residents. The present study deals with 22 different granite samples employed as decoration stones in constructions in Turkey. The natural radioactivity in granite samples was measured by gammaray spectrometry with an HPGe detector. The activity concentrations of 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K were found to be in the range of 10-187, 16-354 and 104-1630 Bq kg 21 , respectively. The radon surface exhalation rate and the radon mass exhalation rate estimated from the measured values of 226 Ra content and material properties varied from 1.3 to 24.8 Bq m 22 h 21 with a mean of 10.5+ + + + +1.5 Bq m 22 h 21 and 0.03-0.64 Bq kg 21 h 21 with a mean of 0.27+ + + + +0.04 Bq kg 21 h 21 , respectively. Radon concentrations in the room caused from granite samples estimated using a mass balance equation varied from 23 to 461 Bq m 23 with a mean of 196+ + + + +27 Bq m 23. Also the gamma index (I g), external indoor annual effective dose (E g) and annual effective dose due to the indoor radon exposure (E Rn) were estimated as the average value of 1.1+ + + + +0.1, 0.16+ + + + +0.02 mSv and 5.0+ + + + +0.7 mSv, respectively, for the granite samples.
The activity concentrations of the natural radionuc lides, namely 226Ra, 232Th and 40K are measured for eleven brick samples collected from some locations of Iraq. An HPGe detector, based on high- resolution gamma spect rometry system is used for the measurement of activity concentrations. The average activity concentration valu es of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K from the studied are 26.34 Bq/kg , 26.97 Bq/kg and 530.24 Bq/kg respectively. In order to evaluate the radiological hazard of the natural radioactivity , the radium equivalent activity , absorbed dose rate , annual effective dose rate, internal and external hazard i ndices, gamma index, alpha index, excess lifetime cancer risk and annual gonadal dose equivalent have been calculated .