Discussing possible standards of natural radioactivity in building materials

Summary This paper discusses different possibilities of deriving reference values for the natural radioactivity concentrations in building materials to estimate possible additional radiation exposure for the population. Based on comprehensive experimental and theoretical investigations the consequences of the resulting hypothetical reference activity concentrations in building materials, applying different dose limits, were examined. The calculation of the activity concentration standards was performed for standard conditions obtained by earlier studies on exhalation of Radon-222 and Radon-220 from building materials.Dedicated to Prof. L.E. Feinendegen on the occasion of his 60th birthday