Radioactivity of building materials in Serbia and assessment of radiological hazard of gamma radiation and radon exhalation

Abstract

© 2020, Akadémiai Kiadó, Budapest, Hungary. This paper presents a gamma spectrometric analysis of 47 samples of building materials produced and used in Serbia. Based on the measured activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K, radiological hazard indices and annual effective doses were estimated for human exposure in the rooms. The values of radon surface exhalation rate and indoor radon concentration, as well as the range of indoor radon exposures for typical building materials produced in Serbia (concrete, mortar, clay bricks, granite, siporex, ceramic and concrete tiles), were estimated. Measurements of the dose rate for building materials in one typical home in Serbia were performed in contact geometry using the radiation monitor Radiagem 2000.