It has been analyzed in this article the radioactivity concentrations of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, ⁴⁰K and radiological hazard parameters in different types of cements commonly used in Poland and available on the Polish market. The radiological hazard parameters are, in particular, absorbed gamma dose rate, annual effective dose, radium equivalent activity, the external hazard index, and the gamma and alpha indices. The radionuclide activities of the most important radionuclides ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, ⁴⁰K have been determined by gamma-ray spectrometry with the use of two kinds of spectrometers of different operational parameters. One performed also measurements on 30-day and 45-day aged samples as to verify if there is a statistically significant difference in radioactivity concentration for shorter and longer aging time. The radioactivity concentrations in the cement samples ranged from 21.7–75.7 Bq·kg⁻¹ for ²²⁶Ra, 12.3–47.3 Bq·kg⁻¹ for ²³²Th to 123–430 Bq·kg⁻¹ for ⁴⁰K. The radiological parameters in cement samples were calculated as follows: mean radium equivalent activity Ra_eq = 127 Bq·kg⁻¹, mean absorbed gamma dose rate D = 115 nGy·h⁻¹, mean annual effective dose E = 570 µSv·y⁻¹, external hazard index H_ex = 0.32, internal hazard index H_in = 0.51, mean activity concentration index I_γ = 0.47 and mean alpha index I_α = 0.28. The results were compared with the reported data from other countries and the international standard values given by European Commission (EC) and United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR 2000). Finally, thorough statistical analysis has been performed.

The measurements of the specific activity of natural radioactive isotopes of radium (²²⁶Ra), thorium (²³²Th) and potassium (⁴⁰K) in chosen samples of imported (China, Finland, Spain, India, Sweden) and Polish (Izerski, Karkonosze, Siedlimowicki, Strzegomski, Strzelinski) granites were performed. The measurements were carried out with 2 × 2” NaI(Tl) scintillation detector. The measured specific activity on natural radioactive isotopes were within the following ranges: 5.8–312 [Bq kg⁻¹], 5.5–189 [Bq kg⁻¹] and 109–1590 [Bq kg⁻¹] for ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰K, respectively. Obtained concentrations of radioactive isotopes allowed to perform the analysis of the exposure of the humans from the ionizing radiation emitted by the granites. The determination of the exposure consisted in the calculation of absorbed gamma dose rate (D) [nGy h⁻¹] for each sample, which fell in the range between 20 and 511 [nGy h⁻¹], annual effective dose rate (AED) [mSv year⁻¹] ranging between 0.10 and 2.50 [mSv year⁻¹], radium equivalent activity (Ra_eq) [Bq kg⁻¹] with values between 22 and 570 [Bq kg⁻¹], external and internal hazard indices (H_ex) and (H_in) falling in the ranges 0.06−1.53 and 0.08–2.41 respectively, as well as gamma (I_γ) and alpha (I_α), representative level indices with values 0.08–2.0 and 0.029–1.56, respectively. Moreover, obtained results were compared with the international standard values given by the European Commission (EC), the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation given in UNSCEAR Reports, and the results of research from other laboratories.

The combustion of hard coal and lignite in power and combined heat and power plants generates significant amounts of coal fly ash (CFA), a waste material with variable properties. CFA naturally contains radionuclides, specifically naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMs), which pose potential radiological risks to the environment and human health during their storage and utilization, including their incorporation into building materials. Although global research on the radionuclide content in CFA is available, there is a clear gap in detailed and current data specific to Central and Eastern Europe and notably, a lack of a systematic analysis investigating the influence of installed power plant capacity on the concentration profile of these radionuclides in the generated ash. This study aimed to fill this gap and provide crucial data for the Polish energy and environmental context. The objective was to evaluate the concentrations of selected radionuclides (²³²Th, ²²⁶Ra, and ⁴⁰K) in coal fly ash samples collected between 2020 and 2023 from 19 Polish power and combined heat and power plants with varying capacities (categorized into four groups: S1–S4) and to assess the associated radiological risk. Radionuclide concentrations were determined using gamma spectrometry, and differences between groups were analyzed using non-parametric statistical methods, including PERMANOVA. The results demonstrated that plant capacity has a statistically significant influence on the concentration profiles of thorium and potassium but not radium. Calculated radiological hazard assessment factors (Ra_eq, H_ex, H_in, IAED) revealed that although most samples fall near regulatory limits (e.g., 370 Bq kg⁻¹ for Ra_eq), some exceed these limits, particularly in groups S1 (plants with a capacity less than 300 MW) and S4 (plants with a capacity higher than 300 MW). It was also found that the frequency of exceeding the annual effective dose limits (IAEDs) showed an increasing trend with the increasing installed capacity of the facility. These findings underscore the importance of plant capacity as a key factor to consider in the radiological risk assessment associated with coal fly ash. This study’s outcomes are crucial for informing environmental risk management strategies, guiding safe waste processing practices, and shaping environmental policies within the energy sector in Central and Eastern European countries, including Poland.

The research was aimed at providing new knowledge in the field of chemical characteristics of solid waste generated in the process of combustion of sewage sludge in fluidized bed furnaces. The research material consisted of disposed fluidized beds (DFB), sewage sludge ash (SSA) and air pollution control residues (APC) from three Polish installations for the thermal treatment of sewage sludge. Natural radionuclides as well as anthropogenic isotope ¹³⁷Cs were determined in the tested materials and the migration of a wide spectrum of trace elements to various waste fractions generated in the process of sewage sludge combustion was examined. It was observed that both radioisotopes and most of the trace elements determined accumulate in SSA and DFB, while the APC fraction contains a much smaller amount of them. The exceptions are mercury and selenium, whose volatile compounds migrate to the exhaust gas dedusting system and accumulate in the APC fraction (up to 40 mg/kg and 13 mg/kg, respectively). A potential threat from the ²²⁶Ra isotope in SSA is identified in the context of the management of this waste in the production of building materials because the typical activity of ²²⁶Ra in SSA collected from areas with very low Ra content in natural environment exceeds 1.5-6 times the activity of this isotope in conventional cement mixtures. When managing SSA and DFB, special attention should be paid to the content of metalloids such as As, B and Se, due to the high content of mobile forms of these elements in the mentioned materials.

Natural radioactivity is present in the human environment to a greater or lesser extent, also in varioustypes of raw or building materials. Monitoring of the concentration of natural radioactive isotopesof potassium 40K, radium 226Ra and thorium 228Th or 232Th in samples of raw and/or constructionmaterials allows assessing the exposure of people to ionizing radiation emitted by these materials.Exceeding the limit value of the radioactive concentration index for raw and/or building materials,defined in the Ordinance of the Council of Ministers (Polish Journal of Laws/Dz.U. No. 33/2021),may result in an effective radiation dose greater than 1 mSv/year – the dose limit for the population.In Poland, pertinent legislation requiring the establishing of the natural radioactivity of raw and/orbuilding materials dates back to the 1970s and has been changed several times by now. However, themost significant changes in the legislation have occurred recently. Due to the obligation of imposingthe application of the provisions of the of European Council 2013/59/EURATOM of 5 December2013 laying down basic safety standards for protection against risks arising from exposure to theeffects of ionizing and repealing Directives 89/618/Euratom, 90/641/ Euratom, 96/29/Euratom,97/43/Euratom and 2003/122/Euratom (the so-called BSS version), it was necessary to adopt theamendment to the Atomic Law. The implementation of the BSS Directive in Poland was issued on thebasis of the resolution of the Parliament of June 13, 2019 amending the Atomic Law Act and the FireProtection Act (Polish Journal of Laws/Dz.U. 2019, item 1593). The amendment of the Atomic LawActs led to the harmonisation of regulations on radioactivity in raw and building materials betweenPoland and the Member States. This article presents the impact of an amendment of the AtomicLaw and of the accompanying normative acts on the studies of the natural radioactivity of raw andconstruction materials, using the example of an analysis of the concentration of natural radioactiveisotopes present in the coal combustion products (CCP), i.e. fly ash, slags and ash-slag mixtures.