Assessment of radiological hazards and chemical composition of cement produced in South Korea

• DOI: 10.1007/s10967-021-07936-0
• Publication Date: 2021-08-18T05:11:32Z
• Authors: Kishore B. Dasari; Gwang-Min Sun; Hana Cho
• Keywords: 13. Climate action; 01 natural sciences; 0104 chemical sciences

Natural radioactivity and chemical composition of different cement samples produced in South Korea were investigated using gamma-ray and X-ray fluorescence spectrometers. The absolute detector efficiency was determined using voluminous radioactive source and EFFTRAN program. Analytical methodologies for the determination of the chemical composition and specific activity of radionuclides were validated using NIST and IAEA reference materials. Radiological indices and parameters were calculated to estimate the radiological risk from the building materials. The results demonstrate that the natural radioactivity levels in cement are lower than the critical values and global mean values. The approximate source apportionment of NORs is also discussed.