Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-mlc7c Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-20T02:27:57.439Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Environmental risk assessment of radon from ceramic tiles

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 September 2012

A.F. Maged ,
L.Z. Ismail  and
N.L.A. Moussa
A.F. Maged
Affiliation:
National Centre for Radiation Research and Technology (NCRRT), Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority (EAEA), B.O. Box 29, Nasr city, Cairo, Egypt
L.Z. Ismail
Affiliation:
Physics DepartmentFaculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt
Get access

Abstract

Radon-222 exhalation from different ceramic tiles depends upon the radium(226Ra) concentration and porosity. Raw zirconium sand is one of thesubstances widely used in the ceramic industry and it is naturally radioactive. This canproduce unjustified concern and subsequently perturb the market of these products. Theradon exhalation rates for all ceramic tile companies were in the ranges 28-44mBq.m-2.h-1 and 2.0 to 4.8 mBq.kg-1 .h-1.The porosity of ceramic tiles is in the range 0.19-0.28. The radium activity of ceramictiles was found to be in the range 16-38 Bq.kg-1 for the glazed surface and23-64 Bq.kg-1 for the clay surface, respectively. The average equivalent dosein contact with the ceramic surface was found to be 22 mSv.y-1. The exposure atworking level at the ceramic tile surface was in the range 2.4-3.8 WL. This gives a riskindication to people who spend a long time in closed ceramic tile stores, who should avoidstaying for a long time in such places.

Keywords

Radon-222track densityexhalation rateceramic tilesporosity
Type
Research Article
Information
Radioprotection , Volume 47 , Issue 3 , July 2012 , pp. 403 - 411
Copyright
© EDP Sciences, 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Cortina, D., Duran, I., Llerena, J.J. (2008) Measurements of indoor radon concentrations in the Santiago de Compostela area, J. Environ. Radioact. 99, 1583-1588. Google Scholar
Cothern C.R. (1987) Estimating the health risks of radon in drinking water, J. Am. Water Works Assoc., April, 153.
Culot, M.V.J., Olson, H.G., Schiager, K.J. (1976) Effective diffusion coefficient if radon in concrete, Theory and Methods for Field Measurements, Health Phys. 30, 263-270. Google Scholar
EC (1999) European Community, Laying down basic safety standards for the protection of the health of workers and the general public against the dangers arising from ionizing radiation, Council Directive 96/29/EURATOM, 1-114.
EC (1999) European Commission, Radiological Protection Principles Concerning the Natural Radioactivity of Building Materials, Radiation Protection Report RP-112, Directorate-General Environment Nuclear Safety and Civil Protection, Luxembourg.
ICRP Publication 104 (2007) International Commission on Radiological Protection, Scope of Radiological Protection Control Measures, Ann. ICRP 37. PubMed
Krisiuk, E.M. (1980) Airborne Radioactivity in Buildings, Health Phys. 38 (2), 199-202. Google Scholar
Luisa, B., Isidoro, Z., Josefina, O., Vicente, S. (2008) Occupational exposure to natural radioactivity in a zircon sand milling plant, J. Environm. Radioact. 99, 1525-1529. Google Scholar
Maged, A.F. (2006) Radon Concentration in Elementary Schools in Kuwait, Health Phys. 90 (3), 258-262. Google ScholarPubMed
Maged, A.F. (2009) Estimating the radon concentration in water and indoor air, Environ. Monit. Assess. 152, 195-201. Google ScholarPubMed
Maged, A.F., Tsuruta, T., Durrani, S.A. (1993) Experimental and Theoretical Considerations on the Calibration Factor K between -Activity Concentration and Track Density for Application in Radon Dosimetry, J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem. 170 (2), 423-431. Google Scholar
Quindos, L.S., Newton, G.J., Wilkening, M.H. (1987) On the dose rate indoors from building materials, Radiat. Prot. Dosim. 19, 125-128. Google Scholar
Rashmi, K., Sharma, G.S.S. (2009) Activity measurements and dependence of radon exhalation rate on physical sample parameters in soil samples, Asian J. Chem. 21 (10), 271-274. Google Scholar
Todorovic, D., Popovic, D., Djuric, G. (1999) Radionuclides in raw building materials, Izgradnja 53, 330-335. Google Scholar
Tufail, M., Akhtar, N., Javied, S., Hamid, T. (2007) Natural radioactivity hazards of building bricks fabricated from saline soil of two districts of Pakistan, J. Radiol. Prot. 27, 481-492. Google ScholarPubMed
UNSCEAR (2000) United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, Sources, Effects and Risks of Ionizing Radiation, Report to the General Assembly with Annex B: Exposures from Natural Sources of Radiation, United Nations, New York.
Verita, S., Righi, S., Guerra, R., Jeyapandian, M. (2009) Radon exhalation rates from zircon sands and ceramic tiles in Italy, Radioprotection 44, 445-451.Google Scholar