222Rn Exhalation Rates from Some Granite and Marble Used in Korea: Preliminary Study

Hyewon Lee,Sungwon Yoon,Jungsub Lee,Cheolmin Lee

doi:10.3390/atmos12081057

Abstract

The objective of this study was to establish a test method for assessing radon exhalation rates from building materials considering radon related environmental policy and research in Korea. This method was established in consideration of cost-effectiveness based on the International Standards Organization (ISO) method and the closed chamber method, which is an evaluation method for the emission of hazardous chemical substances from building materials in Korea. The assessment of radon exhalation rates from five types each of granite and marble used in the construction industry in Korea gave mean radon exhalation rates of 0.497 ± 0.467 Bq/m2∙h from granite and 0.193 ± 0.113 Bq/m2∙h from marble, indicating higher radon exhalation rates from granite. These results are consistent with those of a previous study, indicating that granites are more likely to show higher radon exhalation rates than marbles.

Highlights

More than 50% of the radiation dose received by the general public is due to radon and its progeny [1], which have been considered as one of the main causes of lung cancer [2,3,4]. This radon is mainly emitted in soil or rocks, radon from building materials is another potential source of radon in indoor air [5,6,7,8,9,10]
Granite and marble are rich in radium and thorium and are known to cause an increase in indoor radon concentration when used as interior decoration [29], and they were reported as the cause of the increase in indoor radon through the media in Korea, and it emerged as a social and environmental problem
Because the media has reported problems related to radon exhaled from stone materials, there is a growing interest in the radon emitted from building materials and a new assessment method to assist in its control is required

Summary

Introduction

More than 50% of the radiation dose received by the general public is due to radon and its progeny [1], which have been considered as one of the main causes of lung cancer [2,3,4]. This radon is mainly emitted in soil or rocks, radon from building materials is another potential source of radon in indoor air [5,6,7,8,9,10]. The European Commission (EC) announced the “ALARA

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