The 226Ra, 232Th and 40K concentrations of building materials have been investigated by gamma spectrometry. The results demonstrate that 90% of bricks and concrete have 226Ra concentrations less than 85 mBq g-1 or less than 50 mBq g-1, respectively. In some waste products of mining and industry especially, the 226Ra concentrations are high compared to those of common building materials. Based on the results, the mean gamma dose equivalent to individuals and the collective dose equivalent have been calculated using the computer code ZYLIA-3. The mean indoor gamma dose equivalent to individuals is 510 mu Sv y-1 and the collective dose equivalent 8.5 X 10(3) man-Sv y-1. The outdoor values range from 60 to 81 mu Sv y-1 and 1.0 X 10(3) to 1.4 X 10(3) man-Sv y-1, respectively.
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