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Natural radionuclides and radiological hazard assessment of building materials in North Vietnam

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Abstract

The activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in four common types of building materials (carbonate, quartz, clay and granite) in North Vietnam were determined by HPGe gamma-ray spectrometry. The average activity of these radionuclides were 15, 17 and 213 Bq kg−1 for carbonate; 43, 35 and 462 Bq kg−1 for quartz; 80, 99 and 824 Bq kg−1 for clay; and 98, 198 and 1440 Bq kg−1 for granite. The results showed significant differences in the activities of these radionuclides in different building materials as follows: ACarbonate < AQuartz < AClay < AGranite. The radioactivity of building materials originated from granite and clay are high, while those observed for ones derived from carbonate and quartz are low. Regarding radiation hazard indices, granite exceeded the recommended value, while carbonate fell below this maximum.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Physics, VNU University of Science, 334 Nguyen Trai, Hanoi, Vietnam

    Loat Bui Van, Somsavath Leuangtakoun, Viet Le Quoc & Duc Vu Anh

  2. Institute of Physics, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 10 Dao Tan, Hanoi, Vietnam

    Thanh Kim Tien, Hue Bui Minh & Trong Tran Dinh

  3. National University of Laos, Dongdok, P.O. Box 7322, Vientiane, Laos

    Somsavath Leuangtakoun

  4. Analytical Center, Institute for Technology of Radioactive and Rare Elements, 48 Lang Ha, Hanoi, Vietnam

    Viet Le Quoc

  5. VNU School of Interdisciplinary Studies, Vietnam National University, 144 Xuan Thuy Street, Cau Giau, Hanoi City, 100000, Vietnam

    Tien Chu Trung & Van-Hao Duong

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Bui Van, L., Kim Tien, T., Bui Minh, H. et al. Natural radionuclides and radiological hazard assessment of building materials in North Vietnam. J Radioanal Nucl Chem (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-023-09088-9

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