Accurate measurement of naturally occurring radionuclides in blast furnace slag, a by-product of the steel industry, is required for compliance with building regulations where it is often used as an ingredient in cement. A matrix reference blast furnace slag material has been developed to support traceability in these measurements. Raw material provided by a commercial producer underwent stability and homogeneity testing, as well as characterisation of matrix constituents, to provide a final candidate reference material. The radionuclide content was then determined during a comparison exercise that included 23 laboratories from 14 countries. Participants determined the activity per unit mass for 226Ra, 232Th and 40K using a range of techniques. The consensus values obtained from the power-moderated mean of the reported participant results were used as indicative activity per unit mass values for the three radionuclides: A0(226Ra) = 106.3 (34) Bq·kg-1, A0(232Th) = 130.0 (48) Bq·kg-1 and A0(40K) = 161 (11) Bq·kg-1 (where the number in parentheses is the numerical value of the combined standard uncertainty referred to the corresponding last digits of the quoted result). This exercise helps to address the current shortage of NORM industry reference materials, putting in place infrastructure for production of further reference materials.

中文翻译：

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开发用于分析钢铁工业天然放射性物质的参考材料

准确测量高炉矿渣（钢铁工业的副产品）中天然存在的放射性核素，以符合建筑法规，因为它通常用作水泥的成分。已开发出基质参考高炉矿渣材料以支持这些测量的可追溯性。由商业生产商提供的原材料经过稳定性和均匀性测试，以及基质成分的表征，以提供最终的候选参考材料。然后在包括来自 14 个国家的 23 个实验室的比较活动中确定了放射性核素含量。参与者使用一系列技术确定了 226Ra、232Th 和 40K 的单位质量活动。从报告的参与者结果的功率调节平均值中获得的共识值用作三种放射性核素每单位质量值的指示性活性值：A0(226Ra) = 106.3 (34) Bq·kg-1，A0(232Th) = 130.0 (48) Bq·kg-1 和 A0(40K) = 161 (11) Bq·kg-1（其中括号中的数字是参考结果对应最后一位数字的组合标准不确定度的数值）。这项工作有助于解决目前 NORM 行业参考材料的短缺问题，为生产更多参考材料建立基础设施。0 (48) Bq·kg-1 和 A0(40K) = 161 (11) Bq·kg-1（其中括号中的数字是参考结果对应最后一位数字的组合标准不确定度的数值） . 这项工作有助于解决目前 NORM 行业参考材料短缺的问题，为生产更多参考材料建立基础设施。0 (48) Bq·kg-1 和 A0(40K) = 161 (11) Bq·kg-1（其中括号中的数字是参考结果对应最后一位数字的组合标准不确定度的数值） . 这项工作有助于解决目前 NORM 行业参考材料的短缺问题，为生产更多参考材料建立基础设施。