Estimation of Radiation Dose from Uranium Mill Tailings Bricks Used as Construction Material

In this study estimation of radiation dose from the bricks which are made of uranium mill tailings (UMT) was carried out. For this purpose, RESRAD-BUILD software was used for simulation of radiological exposure of occupant in a model room made with UMT bricks of various composition. In this study, standard model room having dimensions of 5 m × 4 m × 2.8 m was considered for computation. Its floor and ceiling are built with concrete, and the walls are made by using UMT bricks. The occupant location was considered at the centre of the room at 1m height from floor. Possible pathways of exposure were external exposure and inhalation of radon and progeny. The excess dose to occupant residing in model house made by UMT bricks had been found out to be 1 mSv for composition of UMT less than 20%. Further, radon concentration inside the room attributable to UMT bricks was found to be 6.5 – 32.2 Bqm-3 for UMT composition 10%-50% which is much less than the recommended action level for radon.