Determination of radioactivity of natural raw materials for the development of radiation-safe construction materials

Abstract

Abstract. An analysis of the current level of ecological safety of alarm materials showed that now in Ukraine, nutrition control and assessment of safety indicators are insufficient. In Ukraine, the main sources of natural radiation are concentrated within the Ukrainian Crystal Shield and to a lesser extent in the Donbass Shield and the Carpathian Shield. The results of the study of the radiation properties of natural raw materials of Ukraine are presented. The following quartzfeldspar rocks were studied in the work: pegmatite of the Lozuvatka deposit, as well as Anadol and Kremenovsky granites, which are located within the Priazovsky crystalline massif. Gamma-spectrometric analysis was used to measure natural radionuclides and determine the specific activities of natural radionuclides. It is determined that all experimental quartzfeldspar materials in terms of radiation safety belong to the 1st class, for which the condition Aef ≤ 370 Bq/kg is fulfilled. Since it is known that the activity of natural radionuclides in construction materials is 370 Bq kg-1 (equal to the average activity of the earth's crust), a radiation dose is about 1.0 mSv year-1. Living in houses with such a concentration of natural radionuclides in building structures creates a dose of human exposure that is approximately equal to the dose from the natural gamma background. Thus, the studied domestic raw materials can be used as raw materials in the manufacture of construction products without restrictions, as the number of natural radionuclides in them does not exceed the permissible norm. According to international requirements, the parameters of radiological danger to human health have been determined. According to international standards, the assessment of radiation hazard of construction materials was performed according to the criteria: equivalent radium activity (radiation hazard index) Raeq (Bq/kg), external hazard index Iex, gamma index Iγ, alpha index Iα. Recommendations for further use as a raw material in the development of noncombustible radiation-safe construction materials are provided, which guarantee protection of people from the harmful effects of radioactive elements and their sources in case of threat and emergencies.