In recent years, the Regional Agency for the Environmental Protection of Veneto (ARPAV) has carried out surveys in the refractory and tile industries investigating, in particular, the natural radioactivity levels of residues and dusts. Elevated activity concentrations have been recorded for ~(210)Pb and ~(210)Po (21 000 and 35 000 Bq/kg, respectively) in dust generated in a refractory fusion furnace. In addition, high values of ~(210)Po (up to 46 000 Bq/kg) have occurred in the hydrated lime used for trapping dust in the tile firing process. Doses to the public as a result of airborne dust emissions from these two processes are estimated using a comprehensive prediction model (PC Cream) for refractories and a simplified model for tiles. In both cases, individual effective doses appear to be less than 1 μSv/a while collective doses are slightly more than 1 man mSv/a. The PC Cream simulation data were obtained in the course of collaboration between ARPAV and the Catholic University of Brescia.
展开▼
