Determinación de la concentración y exhalación de Radón-222 en agregados pétreos de las canteras Kumochi, Mora y Puerta del Sol, ubicadas en el cantón Ambato provincia de Tungurahua y su influencia en la construcción

Abstract

The present draft analyses the physical and mechanical properties of the quarried aggregates from three mining areas: Kumochi, Puerta del Sol and Mina Mora. Whose purpose is to evaluate the quality of aggregates for concrete manufacturing and determine the radon exhalation rate of it and indoor concentration of radon. The Closed Chamber Method was used to assess the radon exhalation rate of the materials. The experimental configuration consisted of a 125-liter tempered glass chamber and a scintillation detector (Lucas Cell) in interface with the Pylon AB7 monitor. Additional to verify whether the levels of concentration indoor, due to contribution of radon -222 gas from quarried aggregate and concrete represent a risk to the health of its occupants, it has been made the proposal of a Housing Project, that due to its reduced level of ventilation it will be prone to present high levels of this gas. The data reported that the anual concentration and effective dose for all samples do not exceed 300 Bq per cubic meter and 1.1 mSv per year respectively, being it reference values recommended by the UNSCEAR and other international organizations bodies. Finally, with the results obtained, a radon exposure map was developed in which details the exhalation values, contribution to the indoor concentration and annual effective dose of the quarried aggregates collected in the three mining areas.