Assessment of alpha activity of building materials commonly used in West Bengal, India

Ghosh, Dipak; Deb, Argha; Bera, Sukumar; Sengupta, Ranjan; Patra, Kanchan Kumar

doi:10.1016/j.jenvrad.2007.08.002

Cited by 30 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…In addition, the identity and geographic origin of the stones included in this study is not known precisely because naming practices for granite are not standardized (Anjos et al, 2005). Nonetheless, the activity concentrations for 40 K, and the 232 Th and 226 Ra series observed in these stones are within the range reported for granite building materials in the scientific literature (Mustonen, 1984;NCRP, 1987a;Mustapha et al, 1997;Chowdhury, Alam and Ahmed, 1998;European Commission, 1999;Lee, Kim, Lee and Kang, 2001;IAEA, 2003;Kumar, Sengupta and Prasada, 2003;Arafa, 2004;Ahmed, 2005;ICRP, 2005;Al-Saleh and Al-Berzan, 2007;El-Taher, Uosif and Orabi, 2007;Lu, Wang, Jia and Wang, 2007;Ghosh et al, 2008;Kitto, Haines and Diaz Arauzo, 2008;Mujahid et al, 2008). Therefore, these samples of granite intended for use as interior work surfaces contain amounts of naturally occurring radioactive materials that are similar to levels in other types of granite building materials reported in the literature for which larger numbers of samples have been examined.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…A number of studies have reported on the concentrations of natural radionuclides (i.e., activity concentrations) for granite samples obtained from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, South Korea, China, Brazil, Kenya, and Finland (Mustonen, 1984;NCRP, 1987a;Mustapha et al, 1997;Chowdhury et al, 1998;European Commission, 1999;Lee et al, 2001;IAEA, 2003;Kumar et al, 2003;Arafa, 2004;Ahmed, 2005;ICRP, 2005;Al-Saleh and Al-Berzan, 2007;El-Taher et al, 2007;Lu et al, 2007;Ghosh et al, 2008;Kitto et al, 2008;Mujahid et al, 2008). Although the activity concentrations for the majority of those samples were below health-based screening levels and exposure guidelines used in the US, Europe, and elsewhere, a portion of the granite samples had a radiation hazard index that exceeded the European Commission (EC) screening value for limited use as superficial building materials (external dose of 0.3 mSv/a) (European Commission, 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Assessing exposure to granite countertops—part 1: Radiation

Myatt¹,

Allen²,

Minegishi³

et al. 2009

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol

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Humans are continuously exposed to low levels of ionizing radiation. Known sources include radon, soil, cosmic rays, medical treatment, food, and building products such as gypsum board and concrete. Little information exists about radiation emissions and associated doses from natural stone finish materials such as granite countertops in homes. To address this knowledge gap, gross radioactivity, g ray activity, and dose rate were determined for slabs of granite marketed for use as countertops. Annual effective radiation doses were estimated from measured dose rates and human activity patterns while accounting for the geometry of granite countertops in a model kitchen. Gross radioactivity, g activity, and dose rate varied significantly among and within slabs of granite with ranges for median levels at the slab surface of ND to 3000 cpm, ND to 98,000 cpm, and ND to 1.5EÀ4 mSv/h, respectively. The maximum activity concentrations of the 40 K, 232 Th, and 226 Ra series were 2715, 231, and 450 Bq/kg, respectively. The estimated annual radiation dose from spending 4 h/day in a hypothetical kitchen ranged from 0.005 to 0.18 mSv/a depending on the type of granite. In summary, our results show that the types of granite characterized in this study contain varying levels of radioactive isotopes and that their observed emissions are consistent with those reported in the scientific literature. We also conclude from our analyses that these emissions are likely to be a minor source of external radiation dose when used as countertop material within the home and present a negligible risk to human health.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing exposure to granite countertops—part 1: Radiation

Myatt¹,

Allen²,

Minegishi³

et al. 2009

J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Tzortzis et al, 2003;Anjos et al, 2005;Xinwei et al, 2006;Ghosh et al, 2008;Chen et al, 2010;Pereira et al, 2011). The relevance of the contribution of such exposure to the total effective dose must be evaluated carefully, and in view of the economic value of the market for natural stone, the results should be presented without triggering unnecessary public alarm.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A radiological study of some ornamental stones: the bluish granites from Extremadura (Spain)

Pereira

Neves

Pereira

et al. 2012

Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. In the area of Trujillo (Extremadura, Spain) we have found a variety of striking bluish and secondary yellow granites outcropping within the Plasenzuela pluton. They are all quarried under different names and are characterized by leucocratic minerals in which a bluish phosphate is dispersed throughout the rock. Their physical and mechanical properties make these granites a perfect option for most applications as ornamental rocks. Within the pluton the radiological background is fairly homogeneous, with no significant differences between the gamma ray fluxes of the different facies. U (6.4 ± 0.51 ppm), Th (2.9 ± 0.47 ppm) and K 2 O (4.32 ± 0.26 %) contents determined in the laboratory by gamma-ray spectrometry from representative samples are in good accordance with fast in situ measurements carried out with the same technique and also with conventional chemical analysis. Estimated activities for K-40, Ra-226 and Th-232 were, on average, 1022 ± 36 Bq kg −1 , 84 ± 9 Bq kg −1 and 6.8 ± 1.6 Bq kg −1 . On the basis of these results, the I index of EU technical document 112 was determined, with an average result of 0.66 ± 0.03. This suggests that the rock can be used with no restrictions for all types of construction purposes. Striking differences were observed between the blue facies and the yellow facies in radon exhalation tests from crushed material (0.03 Bq kg −1 vs. 0.20 Bq kg −1 ). Since both granites have similar uranium contents (6.3 ppm and 6.5 ppm, respectively), these results can probably be explained in terms of important differences in the mineralogical distribution of this chemical element, radon emanation being enhanced in the yellow facies. However, due to the ordinary use as ornamental stone, the yellow facies does not present a radiological risk in terms of excess effective dose due to internal exposure to radon.

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“…Source identification and quantification of these natural radionuclides are extremely significant measures which could help to reduce the environmental (health) implications effectively [8][9][10][11][12]. Their concentrations in these natural sources determined the local geological and geographical environment as well as geochemical properties of these sources [3,14]. Their concentrations in these natural sources determined the local geological and geographical environment as well as geochemical properties of these sources [3,14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The gamma radiation from natural radionuclides, predominantly 238 U and 232 Th series and their decay products, as well as 40 K, is becoming a worldwide problem [1][2][3][4][5]. Human exposed to high dose ambient ionizing radiation chronically may result in dead, gene mutation and chromosomal aberration [6,7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of the radiological characterization in a coal‐fired power plant, China

You

et al. 2015

Env Prog and Sustain Energy

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The transformation and environmental characteristics of natural radionuclides in a coal‐fired power plant were investigated. The coal, bottom ash, fly ash, and soil samples were collected. The activity concentrations of natural radionuclides (226Ra, 232Th, and 40K) were determined by a high‐purity germanium gamma ray spectrometer. The radiological hazard factors include radium equivalent activity, external hazard index, air absorbed dose rates, and annual effective dose that were used to evaluate the potential environmental and health risk. The results show that these natural radionuclides are enriched in bottom ash and fly ash during coal combustion. The activity concentrations of these radionuclides at the southeast and northwest soil samples are generally higher than those of the southwest and northeast. 226Ra is mainly enriched at the distance of 200 m, while 232Th is primarily higher in the power plant. Based on the radiological risk assessment, the environmental effect of natural radionuclides caused by coal‐fired power plant is considered to be negligible because the radium equivalent activity and external hazard index values of the measured samples are below the acceptance limitations of 370 Bq kg−1 and 1. The bottom ash and fly ash could be used as construction materials under high management and regularization. © 2015 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Environ Prog, 34: 1080–1084, 2015

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Assessment of alpha activity of building materials commonly used in West Bengal, India

Cited by 30 publications

References 20 publications

Assessing exposure to granite countertops—part 1: Radiation

Assessing exposure to granite countertops—part 1: Radiation

A radiological study of some ornamental stones: the bluish granites from Extremadura (Spain)

Evaluation of the radiological characterization in a coal‐fired power plant, China

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