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Assessment of natural radioactivity and radiation hazards owing to coal fly ash and natural pozzolan Portland cements

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Abstract

The natural radioactivity in coal fly ash and natural pozzolan Portland cement samples produced in Spain was measured by gamma spectrometry. Activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K ranged from 15.7 to 88.3 Bq kg−1, from 12.8 to 81.0 Bq kg−1 and from 37.0 to 678.0 Bq kg−1, respectively. The radiological hazards samples owing to the mentioned natural radioactivity were inferred from determinations of the activity concentration index, I, absorbed dose rate, Dext, and annual effective dose, Ep, which falls within 0.20 mSv to 0.87 mSv (coal-cement) and 0.18 mSv to 0.50 mSv (pozzolan-cement) (≤ 1 mSv, threshold criterion). Therefore, these cements are proper to be used for building purposes as result of their radiological assessment.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the coordination tasks of Marina Romay at OFICEMEN, and the participation of the Spanish cement companies’ members of that Association. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Spanish Institute of Cement and its Applications (IECA), C/José Abascal, 53, 28003, Madrid, Spain

    Miguel Ángel Sanjuán

  2. Department for Environment, Environmental Radioactivity and Radiological Surveillance Unit, CIEMAT, Av. Complutense, 22, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    José A. Suárez-Navarro

  3. Civil Engineering School, Technical University of Madrid, C/Profesor Aranguren, s/n, Ciudad Universitaria, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Cristina Argiz

  4. Department of Geological and Mines Engineering. Mine and Energy Engineering School, Technical University of Madrid (UPM), C/Ríos Rosas, 21, 28003, Madrid, Spain

    Pedro Mora

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  1. Miguel Ángel Sanjuán
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  4. Pedro Mora
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Correspondence to Miguel Ángel Sanjuán.

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Sanjuán, M.Á., Suárez-Navarro, J.A., Argiz, C. et al. Assessment of natural radioactivity and radiation hazards owing to coal fly ash and natural pozzolan Portland cements. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 325, 381–390 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-020-07263-w

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