New approaches to retrospective dosimetry using cementitious building materials

Abstract

The potential of cementitious building materials for use in retrospective dosimetry has been investigated by examination of three types of Portland cement, fine grain polymineral samples extracted from concrete and quartz inclusions extracted from ‘ready-mix’ mortar and samples of mortar applied to the external walls of buildings. The results of X-ray and optically stimulated luminescence measurements with samples of hydrated cement suggest that the emission associated with its presence in mortar, render and concrete is likely to be too weak for absorbed dose determinations of less than a few Gy. Measurements of the TL signal from quartz grains extracted from mortars indicate that a TL peak located at ∼170°C (5° s −1) and measured with coarse grains of diameter >350 μm provide the most promising approach for dose assessments above 100 mGy.