Radon permeability and radon exhalation of building materials

Keller, G.; Hoffmann, B.; Feigenspan, T

doi:10.1016/s0048-9697(01)00669-6

Cited by 128 publications

(82 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Generally, the diffusion length in case of porous materials is higher than 40 cm (Keller et al 2001, Mujahid et al 2005) (e.g. porous soil and brick 40 cm, gypsum 110 cm, sand 200 cm).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influencing effect of heat-treatment on radon emanation and exhalation characteristic of red mud

Sas

Szántó

Kovács

et al. 2015

Journal of Environmental Radioactivity

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The reuse of industrial by-products is important for members of numerous industrial sectors. However, though the benefits of reuse are evident from an economical point of view, some compounds in these materials can have a negative effect on users' health.In this study, the radon emanation and exhalation features of red mud were surveyed using heattreatment (100 to 1200°C). As a result of the 1200°C-treated samples, massic radon exhalation capacity reduced from 75 ± 10 mBq kg -1 h -1 to 7 ± 4 mBq kg -1 h -1 , approximately 10% of the initial exhalation rate.To find an explanation for internal structural changes, the porosity features of the heat-treated samples were also investigated. It was found that the cumulative pore volume reduced significantly in less than 100 nm, which can explain the reduced massic exhalation capacity in the high temperature treated range mentioned above.SEM snapshots were taken of the surfaces of the samples as visual evidence for superficial morphological changes. It was found that the surface of the high temperature treated samples had changed, proving the decrement of open pores on the surface.

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“…Generally, the diffusion length in case of porous materials is higher than 40 cm (Keller et al 2001, Mujahid et al 2005) (e.g. porous soil and brick 40 cm, gypsum 110 cm, sand 200 cm).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influencing effect of heat-treatment on radon emanation and exhalation characteristic of red mud

Sas

Szántó

Kovács

et al. 2015

Journal of Environmental Radioactivity

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“…On the other hand, when the radon exhalation rate is related to mass -the massic exhalation rate (Bq kg -1 s -1 ) is obtained. Generally, the diffusion length in the case of porous materials is greater than 40 cm (Keller et al, 2001;Mujahid et al, 2005). Owing to this fact, if the sample thickness is extremely low compared with the diffusion length of radon, all the emanated radon can exhale from the matrix.…”

Section: Determination Of Massic Exhalation and Emanation Ratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Radiological and material characterization of high volume fly ash concrete

Ignjatović

Sas

Dragaš

et al. 2017

Journal of Environmental Radioactivity

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The main goal of research presented in this paper was the material and radiological characterization of high volume fly ash concrete (HVFAC) in terms of determination of natural radionuclide content and radon emanation and exhalation coefficients. All concrete samples were made with a fly ash content between 50% and 70% of the total amount of cementitious materials from one coal burning power plant in Serbia. Physical (fresh and hardened concrete density) and mechanical properties (compressive strength, splitting tensile strength and modulus of elasticity) of concrete were tested. The radionuclide content ( 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K) and radon massic exhalation of HVFAC samples were determined using gamma spectrometry.Determination of massic exhalation rates of HVFAC and its components using radon accumulation chamber techniques combined with a radon monitor was performed. The results show a beneficial effect of pozzolanic activity since the increase in fly ash content resulted in an increase in compressive strength of HVFAC by approximately 20% for the same mass of cement used in the mixtures. On the basis of the obtained radionuclide content of concrete components the I-indexes of different HVFAC samples were calculated and compared with measured values (0.27 -0.32), which were significantly below the recommended 1.0 index value. The prediction was relatively close to the measured values as the ratio between the calculated and measured I-index ranged between 0.89 and 1.14. Collected results of mechanical and radiological properties and performed calculations clearly prove that all 10 designed concretes with a certain type of fly ash are suitable for structural and non-structural applications both from a material and radiological point of view. KeywordsFly ash, Concrete, NORM, I-index, Radon exhalation 1. Introduction BackgroundThe building industry has one of the largest environmental impacts among all human activities:an annual consumption of 10 -11 billion tons of aggregate (Meyer, 2002) and 4.18 billion tons of cement (USGS, 2015). Apart from extremely high resource and energy consumption, cement production is a significant source of CO2 emissions, accounting for approximately 4.4% of global CO2 emissions from industry in 2007(Boden et al., 2010.There are many ideas that have been proposed to make concrete "greener" and more sustainable but they are all based on two principles: reuse and reduce. Concepts based on the "reduce" principle are oriented towards decreasing cement production based on natural materials and result in a reduction in CO2 emissions. With respect to the requirements for concrete as the world's most used man-made material, a lower production of Ordinary Portland cement must be compensated with alternative sources of binders in concrete production. There are several industrial sectors which produce significant amounts of residues such as fly ash (FA), bottom ash, red mud, steel slag, nonferrous slag, etc. which can be used for that purpose (Shi et al., 2006).Millions of tons of FA,...

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“…In general, the radioactive content of building materials reflects the radioactive content of the raw materials from which they are made (Mahur et al, 2008;Righi and Bruzzi, 2006;Amin, 2015;Keller et al, 2001;Khan, 1994;Petropoulos et al, 2001, Stoulos et al, 2003Chen et al, 1993Chen et al, & 2010Zhang et al, 2012). In the case of building stone, such as granites and ironstones, the content of the building materials is exactly as quarried.…”

Section: Radon ( 222mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the case of bricks and blocks, radioactive materials may be diluted by the addition of other materials. The increasing use of industrial by-products in building materials may add to exposure to radon (Amin, 2015;Keller et al, 2001). …”

Section: Radon ( 222mentioning

confidence: 99%

Radon as an anthropogenic indoor air pollutant as exemplified by radium-dial watches and other uranium- and radium-containing artefacts

Crockett

Gillmore

2016

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Abstract.Radon is generally regarded as a naturally occurring radiological hazard but we report here measurements of significant, hazardous radon concentrations that arise from man-made sources, e.g. radium-dial watches. This study is an examination and assessment of health risks from radium and uranium found in historical artefacts, and the radon that emanates from them. This includes radium-dial watches, the main focus, plus clocks, aircraft instruments, and ornaments and artefacts made of uranium glass / uranium-glazed. Such objects were very popular in the 1930s and 1940s and are still readily available today.A collection of 30 radium-dial pocket and wrist watches was measured and shown to be capable of giving rise to radon concentrations two orders of magnitude greater than the UK Domestic Action Level. We also highlight a gap in remediation protocols, which are focused on preventing radon entering buildings from outside, with regard to internally-generated radon hazards. Radon as arising from man-made objects such as radium-dial watches should be considered appropriately in radon protocols and guidelines.

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Radon permeability and radon exhalation of building materials

Cited by 128 publications

References 3 publications

Influencing effect of heat-treatment on radon emanation and exhalation characteristic of red mud

Influencing effect of heat-treatment on radon emanation and exhalation characteristic of red mud

Radiological and material characterization of high volume fly ash concrete

Radon as an anthropogenic indoor air pollutant as exemplified by radium-dial watches and other uranium- and radium-containing artefacts

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