Natural radioactivity of wastes

By-products of the combustion of coal (wastes) are often used for various types of construction (dwellings, roads, etc.). The legal regulations (The Ordinance of the Council of Ministers of 2 January 2007 “On the requirements for the content of natural radioactive isotopes of potassium K-40, radium Ra-226 and thorium Th-228 in raws and materials used in buildings for the residence of people and livestock, as well as in the industrial by-products used in the construction, and the control of the content of the aforementioned isotopes” – Law Gazette no. 4/2007 item 29) are in force in Poland. The regulations permit the possibility of utilization of raws and by-products basing upon the level of the natural radioactivity of the examined raws and materials. The article is a survey of the results obtained during the measurements of many types of raws and building materials for almost 30 years by the network of the laboratories in Poland. It is based upon the results stored in the database of the Central Laboratory for Radiological Protection (CLRP), Warsaw. The article tends to outline the radioactivity of the waste materials with respect to other raws and materials used in the construction industry. The article shows the possibilities for the use of by-products originating in the power stations and heat- and power stations (mainly ashes, slag and hinter) in the construction of dwellings and roads.