Radiation exposure to zircon minerals in Serbian ceramic industries

This paper presents the results of gamma spectrometric measurements of radioactivity levels for 41 zircon minerals samples used in the Serbian ceramic industry. The average activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K for all analyzed samples are 2532 ± 117 Bq kg−1, 360 ± 16 Bq kg−1, and 183 ± 12 Bq kg−1, respectively. Radium equivalent activity index (Raeq), gamma and alpha indices (Iγ, Iα), excess lifetime cancer risk, alpha dose equivalent (Hα), and radon mass exhalation rate (EM) are determined. Annual effective doses for workers in the ceramic industry are estimated assuming exposure to radiation for 800 h per year, and the average value is found to be 1.53 ± 0.07 mSv y−1.