The effect of manufacturing variables on radiation doses from porcelain tiles

Previous studies have focused on the radiological properties of glazed ceramic tiles. This study was conducted to describe the radiological properties of porcelain tiles and how they were affected by variations in the manufacturing parameters. The data showed that the majority of the uranium in the tiles was attributable to the addition of zircon while less than half of the thorium in the tile was attributable to the added zircon, and the remainder came from other minerals in the formulation. The effects of firing temperatures and compressive strengths of the tiles are presented and show that higher firing temperatures increase radon emanation, while higher compressive strengths reduce radon emanation. The study also described how the addition of zircon to the tile formulation affected the radiological exposures that could be received by a member of the public from the use of such porcelain tiles. A dose assessment was conducted based on 23 different types of tile formulation. Screening procedures for building materials have been described in European Commission documents, and these limit the addition of zircon in a porcelain tile to approximately 9% by mass. The dose assessment reported in this study showed that 20% zircon could be added to a porcelain tile without exceeding the prescribed dose limits.