title: Natural radioactivity in building material in the European Union: robustness of the activity concentration index I and comparison with a room model.
abstract: Using a wide database collected in the last 10 years, the authors have calculated the activity concentration index I for many building materials in the European Union. Suggested by a European technical guidance document, the index I has recently been adopted as a screening tool in the proposal for the new Euratom basic safety standards directive. The paper analyses the possible implications of the choice of different parameters for the computation of index I, i.e. background to be subtracted, dose criteria, etc. With the collected data an independent assessment of gamma doses was also made with an ISS room model, choosing reasonable hypotheses on the use of materials. The results of the two approaches, i.e. index I and a room model, were compared.
authors.affiliation: Italian National Institute of Health (Istituto Superiore di Sanità), Technology and Health Department, Viale Regina Elena 299, I-00161 Rome, Italy. cristina.nuccetelli@iss.it
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nuccetelli
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Risica
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: D'Alessandro
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Trevisi
mesh_terms: D016902:Air Pollution, Indoor / Q000032:analysis*; D002133:Calcium Sulfate; D060389:Construction Industry; D003252:Construction Materials / Q000032:analysis*; D005062:European Union; D005720:Gamma Rays; D010758:Phosphorus; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011834:Radiation Monitoring / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: C077769:phosphogypsum; D010758:Phosphorus; D002133:Calcium Sulfate