Natural radioactivity of ceramic construction materials

In this report previous measurement experience of natural radioactivity of construction materials and their future assessment in connection with the Radiation Protection Act and as a criterion for the declaration of the environmental behaviour in the declaration of performance and CE marking in compliance with the Construction Product Regulation are discussed.

1 Introduction

Construction materials contribute – if only to a small extent – to the natural radiation exposure of humans. During sojourn in buildings, two exposure paths have to be considered, namely radiation of the human body from the outside by gamma radiation generated during the decay of the radionuclides radium-226, thorium-232 and potassium-40, and internal exposure caused by inhalation of radon-222 and its short-life decay products, so-called alpha radiation. The actually biologically effective exposure results from the internal radiation exposure. The radium-226 from the...

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