Radiological impact assessment of an abandoned radium salts factory

A radiological assessment has been in progress, since 1978, on the environmental implications of an abandoned radium salts factory, operating in Portugal from 1912 to 1944. Some aspects of the study performed at the site are briefly described. They include the analysis of radium-226 concentrations in water and foodstuff and the identification of critical pathways. The resulting dose equivalents due to radium intake and external irradiation are evaluated for the two most exposed groups of the population, and compared with values from other regions. Their sensitivity to some of the factors assumed is also discussed.