The radiation level on the ground floor in our house is between 0.06 to 0.28 µSv h-1 (the average for 24 hours is ± 0.155 µSv h-1). The reason for the relatively high radiation level is our ceramic tiles in this floor. I have a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter and a one-year-old daughter who play on this floor many hours a day. In your opinion, is there any increased risk to my daughters with these measurements?
Some building materials (like some ceramics) are known to have slightly higher natural background radiation than others. The value you reported, 0.155 µSv h-1, while measurable, is still very low. Everyone in the world is exposed to natural background radiation, and the worldwide average is about 0.27 µSv h-1. Some areas of the world are lower than this average (like the value you reported), and some are much higher. For example, people living in Ramsar, Iran—one of the highest background radiation areas in the world—are exposed to dose rates as high as 15 µSv h-1 (about 100 times higher than the value you reported). No adverse health effects have been observed in the population of Ramsar (or any other high radiation background area). Your daughters are quite safe playing on your ceramic floor.
Brant Ulsh, PhD, CHP
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