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Gamma doses from phospho-gypsum plaster-board

R S O'Brien1

  • 1Australian Radiation Laboratory, Yallambie Victoria.

Health Physics
|January 1, 1997
PubMed
Summary

Using phospho-gypsum in buildings may increase radiation exposure. Calculations show that annual effective doses from gamma radiation are below typical levels found in homes, but depend on radium concentration.

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Area of Science:

  • Environmental Health
  • Radiation Protection
  • Building Materials Science

Background:

  • Phospho-gypsum, a byproduct of fertilizer production, is increasingly used as a substitute for natural gypsum in building materials.
  • This substitution may introduce additional sources of radiation exposure to occupants and workers due to naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the potential radiation exposure from using phospho-gypsum plaster-board in buildings.
  • To quantify the annual effective dose from gamma radiation and radon progeny associated with phospho-gypsum building materials.

Main Methods:

  • Calculations were performed to estimate the annual effective dose from gamma radiation based on specific phospho-gypsum sheet thickness and radium-226 concentration.
  • The study considered a typical room size and continuous occupancy.

Main Results:

  • Calculated annual effective dose from gamma radiation for a 1 cm thick phospho-gypsum sheet with 400 Bq kg(-1) 226Ra concentration in a 5m x 5m x 3m room is approximately 0.13 mSv.
  • This calculated dose is significantly lower than the measured average annual effective dose from gamma radiation in Australian homes (0.9 mSv).
  • The annual effective dose is directly proportional to the radium-226 concentration in the plaster-board.

Conclusions:

  • The use of thin phospho-gypsum plaster-board as a building material is unlikely to pose a significant radiation hazard from gamma exposure compared to average home environments.
  • However, radiation exposure is directly dependent on the radium-226 concentration, necessitating careful material selection and monitoring.

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