ELEVATION OF GAMMA DOSE RATE BY CONSTRUCTION OF THE ASIAN HIGHWAY 3 (AH3) BETWEEN ULAANBAATAR AND SAINSHAND, MONGOLIA.

The present study aimed at examining changes of gamma radiation level associated with road construction in Mongolia. A car-borne survey of gamma dose rate was made for a paved, 450-km long part of the Asian Highway 3 between Ulaanbaatar and Sainshand. The gamma dose rates ranged from 48 to 173 nGy/h. Elevation of the gamma dose rates was observed only on a 86-km long segment of the survey route which was newly constructed from 2011 to 2013. The gamma dose rates over the newer paved segment were twice as high as those over the bare dirt surface alongside it. Outdoor measurements of gamma-ray pulse height distributions also indicated an abundance of natural radionuclides, especially Th-232-series elements in road materials. These findings suggest that the gamma dose rates were elevated by introduction of road materials containing large amounts of natural radionuclides.