Abstract
Activity concentration of 232Th, 226Ra and 40K was determined in 11 white and 63 grey Portland cements by using gamma spectrometry. The potential γ-ray radiation hazards due to mentioned activity concentrations were assessed by following five approaches: internal hazard index, Hin, external hazard index, Hex, activity concentration index, I, absorbed dose rate, D, and effective dose, Ep. All of these showed results falling below threshold limits. Particularly, white cements exhibited slightly lower values than grey ones. The annual effective dose estimated for all the Portland cements falls within 0.10 mSv to 0.47 mSv (≤ 1 mSv: threshold criterion for building materials).
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The authors would like to thank the coordination tasks of Marina Romay at OFICEMEN, and the participation of the Spanish cement companies’ members of that Association.
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Sanjuán, M.Á., Suarez-Navarro, J.A., Argiz, C. et al. Assessment of radiation hazards of white and grey Portland cements. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 322, 1169–1177 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-019-06824-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-019-06824-y