Radioactivity and radon exhalation rate of some granite building materials in Türkiye

The presence of elevated concentrations of naturally occurring radionuclides in building materials can lead to the generation of high dose rates within indoor environments, resulting from both internal and external exposure pathways. The internal dose is mainly attributable to radon exhalation from the building materials, whereas the external dose is a consequence of γ-rays emitted from the radionuclides present within the building materials. The principal radioisotopes of interest are potassium (K), thorium (Th) and radium (Ra), in terms of their respective concentrations in the material. The concentration of Ra in the material is also a significant factor in determining the quantity of radioactive radon gas that is released from the material. In the study conducted by Çetin in 2011, the concentration of radionuclides present in selected granite materials used in construction in Türkiye was determined using the gamma spectrometry analysis method. Radionuclide concentrations were used to calculate the annual effective dose values for eight of these materials. The radon exhalation rate is directly affected by the radium concentration in the material. This reports gives natural radioactivity content and radon exhalation rate measurements for some granite building materials using in Türkiye.