Advanced radiometric profiling methodologies and cancer risk estimation through computational simulation and...

This study presents a radiological assessment of laboratory-developed sustainable concretes incorporating recycled glass as a partial replacement for granite aggregate, with the aim of evaluating indoor exposure and the associated cancer risk. The activity concentrations of natural radionuclides ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K were determined by gamma-ray spectrometry using a HPGe detector and GADRAS-DRF. Elemental composition data obtained by X-ray fluorescence were implemented in simulations performed with the MCNP code version 6.3, in which the ICRP reference voxel phantom, Rex, was positioned inside a standard room whose walls were modeled using the analyzed concretes. The measured activity concentrations were found to be consistent with or lower than those reported in the literature for conventional concretes, with reasonable agreement between measurements performed with HPGe and estimates obtained using GADRAS-DRF, as evidenced by RMSE statistical analysis. The annual effective doses obtained by experimental and computational methods were below the recommended regulatory limits, and the agreement between the results was evaluated using Bland-Altman statistical analysis and found to be reasonable. All evaluated samples presented lifetime cancer risk values classified as negligible according to U.S. EPA criteria. The external and internal radiological hazard indices were also below the reference value. Radon exhalation was consistent with other studies reported in the literature. The results indicate that the incorporation of recycled glass does not increase radiological risks and supports the feasibility of the safe use of sustainable concretes in construction applications.