A method for radiologically evaluating indoor use of dimension stone considering radon exhalation rates

Abstract

Background:The use of natural radioactive building materials could be a health risk for both dwellers and mining workers. Therefore, a quick and effective method to test batches of rock samples is needed. Nevertheless, there is no reference value for maximum exhalation rates for building materials, except radiological hazard indices that do not measure gas exhalation rates directly. Objectives: This article investigated the correlations between Gamma Index and radon and thoron exhalation rates, and the proportions of radon and thoron in samples. Moreover, the main objectives were to analyze the feasibility of screening problematic samples for indoor use through a portable radiation detector (CoMo 170), which consists of a quick analysis at very low cost, and to simulate indoor concentration of radon using the measured exhalation rates of dimension stone slabs. Design: Best-selling dimension stone slabs were submitted to the following assays: gamma spectrometry, radon and thoron exhalation analysis using scintillation cell, and radioactivity measurement using a portable detector. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were conducted using Statistica 13 software. Results: The average activity concentrations measured were 971 ± 58.6 Bq/kg of 40 K, 184 ± 9 Bq/kg of 232 Th, and 74 ± 3 Bq/kg of 226 Ra. The maximum activity concentrations of 40 K, 232 Th, and 226 Ra series were 1,734 ± 100 Bq/kg, 2,667 ± 109 Bq/kg, and 596 ± 2 Bq/kg, respectively. The average exhalation rate of 222 Rn was 406 ± 20 Bq/h m 2 . Conclusions: The main recommendations arising from this study are as follows: a portable radiation detector (CoMo 170) could be used as a screening method for selected samples; Gamma Index limit value = 1 for dimension stone slabs could be adopted when assessing radon and thoron exhalation; and the surface radon exhalation rate should be measured as a basis of recommendation for surface treatment before sales. Finally, thoron exhalations should be considered in radiological assessment, as 57% of the samples had higher thoron exhalation rates than radon.