Building materials, such as brick, marble and granite, contain very low-levels of naturally-occurring radioactivity. However, these materials can emit radon as the materials decay, which can elevate the indoor radon levels in your home. It's important to test your home for radon and to correct elevated levels.
Radioactive materials in sandstone, concrete, brick, natural stone, gypsum, and granite contain naturally-occurring radioactive elements like radium, uranium, and thorium. These naturally-occurring elements can break down or decay into the radioactive gas radon.
Building materials, such as brick, marble and granite, contain very low-levels of naturally-occurring radioactivity. However, these materials can emit radon as the materials decay, which can elevate the indoor radon levels in your home. It's important to test your home for radon and to correct elevated levels.
Radioactive materials in sandstone, concrete, brick, natural stone, gypsum, and granite contain naturally-occurring radioactive elements like radium, uranium, and thorium. These naturally-occurring elements can break down or decay into the radioactive gas radon.
Comparison of uncontrollable radioactivity from the Chernobyl disaster and other events
This article compares the radioactivity release and decay from the Chernobyl disaster with various other events which involved a release of uncontrolled radioactivity.
Naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) and technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials (TENORM) consist of materials, usually industrial wastes or by-products enriched with radioactive elements found in the environment, such as uranium, thorium and potassium and any of their decay products, such as radium and radon.
Produced water discharges and spills are a good example of entering NORMs into the surrounding environment.
A rainout is the process of precipitation causing the removal of radioactive particles from the atmosphere onto the ground, creating nuclear fallout by rain.
The rainclouds of the rainout are often formed by the particles of a nuclear explosion itself and because of this, the decontamination of rainout is more difficult than a dry fallout.