Radiometric analysis of volcanic tuff stones used as ornamental and structural building materials in Turkey and evaluation of radiological risk

Abstract

Volcanic tuff stones are widely used to coat the interior and exterior surfaces of buildings for ornamental purposes in the construction industry in Turkey, and are also used as structural material in the construction of masonry buildings, especially in the Cappadocia region, which is a popular tourist destination. In this study, seventy-six volcanic tuff stone samples collected from different quarries located in different geographical regions in Turkey were surveyed for radiometric analysis, and the radiological risk to human health caused by ionizing radiation from natural radionuclides in the volcanic tuff stone samples was evaluated. The activity concentrations of 238U, 232Th, 226Ra and 40K analyzed in volcanic tuff stone samples were very variable, ranging from 3 to 389, 8 to 401, 2 to 263 and 99 to 2107 Bq kg-1, respectively. The emanation coefficient and mass exhalation rate of 222Rn measured for the volcanic tuff samples ranged from 2 to 68% with an average of 34%, and 1 to 194 μBq kg-1 s-1 with an average of 43 μBq kg-1 s-1, respectively. The external (gamma) and internal (alpha) hazard indices, indoor absorbed gamma dose rate and the corresponding annual effective dose were estimated to evaluate the potential radiological risk to human health. The results showed that all of the surveyed volcanic tuff stone samples can be used as covering building materials for ornamental or insulating covering purposes. However, the use of some volcanic tuff stone samples as structural building materials should be restricted.