Gamma radiation measurements and dose rates in commercially-used natural tiling rocks (granites)
Date
2003ISSN
0265-931XSource
Journal of environmental radioactivityVolume
70Issue
3Pages
223-235Google Scholar check
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The gamma radiation in samples of a variety of natural tiling rocks (granites) imported in Cyprus for use in the building industry was measured, employing high-resolution γ-ray spectroscopy. The rock samples were pulverised, sealed in 1-l plastic Marinelli beakers, and measured in the laboratory with an accumulating time between 10 and 14 h each. From the measured γ-ray spectra, activity concentrations were determined for 232Th (range from 1 to 906 Bq kg-1), 238U (from 1 to 588 Bq kg-1) and 40K (from 50 to 1606 Bq kg-1). The total absorbed dose rates in air calculated from the concentrations of the three radionuclides ranged from 7 to 1209 nGy h -1 for full utilization of the materials, from 4 to 605 nGy h -1 for half utilization and from 2 to 302 nGy h-1 for one quarter utilization. The total effective dose rates per person indoors were determined to be between 0.02 and 2.97 mSv y-1 for half utilization of the materials. Applying dose criteria recently recommended by the EU for superficial materials, 25 of the samples meet the exemption dose limit of 0.3 mSv y-1, two of them meet the upper dose limit of 1 mSv y -1 and only one clearly exceeds this limit. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
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