Cement is widely used as representative industrial material. In Korea, about 50 million tons of cement are consumed every year. In the manufacture of cement, raw materials containing NORM such as fly ash and bauxite are used. Therefore, the workers can be subjected to radiation exposure. The major exposure pathway in NORM industries is internal exposure due to inhalation of aerosol. Internal radiation dose due to aerosol inhalation varies depending on physicochemical properties of the aerosol. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate aerosol properties influencing inhalation dose in cement industries. In this study, aerosol properties were measured for two cement manufacturers. A particulate size distribution and concentration at various processing areas in cement manufacturing industries in Korea were analyzed using a cascade impactor. The mass density of raw materials and byproducts were measured using pycnometer. Shape of particulates was analyzed using SEM. The radioactivity concentration of Ra-226, Ra-228 for U/Th decay series was measured using HPGe. Particulate concentration by size was distributed log-normally with maximum at particle size about 7.2 μm in manufacturer A and 5.2 μm in manufacturer B. The mass density of fly ash and cement were 2.3±0.06, 3.2±0.02 g/cm3 respectively in manufacturer A. In manufacturer B, the mass density of bauxite and cement were 3.4±0.02, 2.9±0.01 g/cm3 respectively. The shape of particulates appeared as spherical shape in manufacturer A and B regardless of sampling area. Thus, a shape factor of unity could be assumed. The radioactivity concentrations of Ra-226, Ra-228 were 82±9, 82±8 Bq/kg for fly ash, and 25±4, 23±3 Bq/kg for cement in manufacturer A. In manufacturer B, the radioactivity concentrations of Ra-226, Ra-228 were 344±34, 391±32 Bq/kg for bauxite, and 122±13, 145±12 Bq/kg for cement. The radioactivity concentrations of Ra-226, Ra-228 in cement were less than raw materials such as fly ash and bauxite. It is because the dilution of the radioactivity concentration occurred during mixing with other raw materials in cement production process. This study results will be used as database for accurate dose assessment due to airborne particulate inhalation by workers in cement industries.

We investigated the effects of heavy metals in cement in the last 3 years and the amount of waste in the cement manufacturing process. The result shows that the average Cr6+ content in cement products is controlled at 10 mg/kg. Cu and Pb have lower detection tendency in white cement than in ordinary portland cement. In addition, heavy metals such as Cd show a certain level of detection regardless of the input wastes. Copper slag and phosphate gypsum are the main influencing factors on the heavy metals in cement products. In auxiliary fuels, plastics waste and wood waste are considered to affect heavy metals in cement products. Alternative raw materials are considered to be affected by the alternative raw materials managed as byproducts. In the case of supplementary fuels, auxiliary fuels managed as waste instead of auxiliary fuels managed as byproducts affect the heavy metals in cement. This study examined the input amount without considering the heavy metals in each waste. Therefore, the result may vary in different situations, and further research must be conducted to supplement the findings. However, if the heavy-metal contents in the waste are constant, it can be used as a reference material for the control of heavy metals in cement products.