Population exposures due to current building technology in Krakow, Poland

Enhancement of radiation exposure to the population of the city of Krakow and the Krackow district caused by the use of industrial waste products as building materials was assessed in this work. 226Ra, 232Th and 40K concentrations in 99 samples of building materials were measured with a Ge(Li) spectrometer. Gamma dose rates inside 209 buildings were measured with thermoluminescent devices (TLDs). It was found that the mean concentration of the natural radionuclides 226Ra and 232Th in coal byproduct prefabricates is more than twice as high as in natural raw materials containing no industrial waste products. In consequence dose rates in the houses made of natural concrete (towns) and of coal wastes (villages) are on average 47.2 nGy.h-1 and 99.3 nGy.h-1, respectively. (author)