title: Radioactivity in building materials: room model analysis and experimental methods.
abstract: First, models (room models) published in the international literature allowing the exposure to gamma radiation indoors due to building materials to be assessed are reviewed and discussed. For one of them, a sensitivity analysis concerning the effect of changing the parameters (e.g. dimensions of the room, thickness and density of the walls, etc.) used in calculations is performed. Second, a method is proposed for calculating the activity concentration in the walls of a room using: (a) the measured absorbed dose rate in air in the room; (b) the contributions of natural radionuclides (238U, 232Th and 40K) to the absorbed dose rate in air assessed by means of gamma spectrometry indoors; and (c) the specific dose rate (nGy h(-1) per Bq kg(-1)) of natural radionuclides, for the chosen room geometry, calculated with the room model.
authors.affiliation: Physics Laboratory, National Institute of Health, (Istituto Superiore di Sanità), Rome, Italy. serena@iss.it
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Risica
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bolzan
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nuccetelli
mesh_terms: D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis; D000398:Air Pollution, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis; D003252:Construction Materials / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis*; D005720:Gamma Rays / Q000009:adverse effects; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011188:Potassium / Q000032:analysis; D011868:Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis; D011886:Radon / Q000032:analysis; D013910:Thorium / Q000032:analysis
chemical_list: D011868:Radioisotopes; D013910:Thorium; D011886:Radon; D011188:Potassium