Building Materials

The CE marking that has been required for building materials since 2004 (EN 12620) makes it mandatory to quantify or limit the natural radioactivity content. As laid down in the Austrian standard ÖNORM S5200, building materials, including building sand, gravel, crushed stone, clay, cement, lime and plaster as well as bricks, building stones, precast concrete units, tiles and the like must undergo assessment by the building materials index.

These building materials need to be tested for potassium-40, a natural radioactive potassium isotope, uranium-238 and thorium-232 with their respective decay products. Subsequent calculation determines whether the particular building material is CE compliant.