The levels of radioactive materials in some common UK building materials

Measurements have been made of the radon exhalation rates and radionuclide contents of some common UK building materials. These include concrete blocks incorporating pulverised fuel ash from coal-fired power stations as well as more traditional materials such as clay bricks and concrete blocks. Simple models are applied to the results to calculate the radiation exposure of people living in houses constructed with these materials. It is estimated that building materials make only a small contribution to the total radon concentration in most houses. A similarly small contribution to the effective dose equivalent received by people arises from the gamma-ray emission from building materials, and in most cases will exceed the contribution to the effective dose equivalent from the radon exhalation of those materials.