Radiation dose estimation and mass attenuation coefficients of cement samples used in Turkey


Damla N., ÇEVİK U., KOBYA A. I., Celik A., CELIK N., Van Grieken R.

JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS, vol.176, pp.644-649, 2010 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 176
  • Publication Date: 2010
  • Doi Number: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2009.11.080
  • Journal Name: JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.644-649
  • Keywords: Cement, Radioactivity, Mass attenuation, Chemical analysis, Turkey, BUILDING-MATERIALS, NATURAL RADIOACTIVITY, RADON EXHALATION, BY-PRODUCTS, DWELLINGS, HAZARDS, RATES, CITY
  • Karadeniz Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Different cement samples commonly used in building construction in Turkey have been analyzed for natural radioactivity using gamma-ray spectrometry. The mean activity concentrations observed in the cement samples were 52, 40 and 324 Bq kg(-1) for Ra-226, Th-232 and K-40, respectively. The measured activity concentrations for these radionuclides were compared with the reported data of other countries and world average limits. The radiological hazard parameters such as radium equivalent activities (Ra-eq), gamma index (I-gamma) and alpha index (I-alpha) indices as well as terrestrial absorbed dose and annual effective dose rate were calculated and compared with the international data. The Ra-eq values of cement are lower than the limit of 370 Bq kg(-1), equivalent to a gamma dose of 1.5 mSv y(-1). Moreover, the mass attenuation coefficients were determined experimentally and calculated theoretically using XCOM in some cement samples. Also, chemical compositions analyses of the cement samples were investigated. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.