Building materials photon attenuation, natural radioactivity content and radon exhalation rate

High concentrations of natural radionuclides in building materials result in high dose rate indoorsdue to radon and thoron exhalation and the ?-rays emitted from them. Among the naturalradionuclides contained in building materials, most attention has been given to 226Ra due to 222Rnexhalation and the subsequent internal exposure. In external dose calculations due to buildingmaterials it is usually assumed that there exists radioactive equilibrium among the radionuclides ofboth the uranium and thorium series.