Exhalación de Radón-222 de los materiales de construcción para uso decorativo

Abstract

The objective of this work was to calculate the surface and mass exhalation rate of radon-222 from building materials for decorative use. Five samples of Ecuaceramica, Rialto and Italpisos tiles, one sample of stucco and one of gypsum, which were previously treated, were analyzed. The short-term passive radon detection system (E-PERM ST) was used, which consisted of a model S ionization chamber, an Electret type ST (short term), Electret voltage reader and a glass radon accumulator carefully sealed to avoid radon leakage. The results showed that the range of surface and mass exhalation rate of the tiles was 0.28 to 0.67 Bequerels per square meter per hour and 0.0033 to 0.0074 Bequerels per kilogram per hour respectively, where the maximum value corresponds to the lead tile of the Ecuaceramica brand and the minimum to the red tile of Italpisos. The surface and mass exhalation rate of stucco (0.30±0.03 Bequerels per square meter per hour and 0.0044±0.0004 Bequerels per kilogram per hour, respectively) was higher than the surface and mass exhalation rate in gypsum (0.25±0.03 Bequerels per square meter per hour and 0.0033±0.0004 Bequerels per kilogram per hour, respectively). In conclusion, when comparing the surface and mass exhalation rates of all the decorative materials analyzed, it was observed that the surface and mass exhalation rate of the materials used in floors (tiles) was higher than those used in roofing (stucco and gypsum). It is recommended to avoid the presence of humidity to avoid changes in the measurements and in subsequent investigations to use samples in solid state.