Hiwa Hamad Azeez

Assessing the release of radionuclides into the environment is important for protecting public health, predominantly when radioactive pollution enters the food chain. The uptake of radionuclides by plants from the soil is usually described by the transfer factor. The present study investigated soil-radish transfer factors and associated radiation risks for radionuclides ²²⁶ Ra, ²³² Th, ⁴⁰ K, and ¹³⁷ Cs in radishes grown along the Little Zab River in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq using a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector to measure radionuclide activity concentrations. The average activity concentrations of ²²⁶ Ra, ²³² Th, ⁴⁰ K, and ¹³⁷ Cs radionuclides in the soil samples are (15.1 ± 5.1) Bq kg ⁻¹ , (6.2 ± 1.4) Bq kg ⁻¹ , (296.8 ± 43.9) Bq kg ⁻¹ , and (7.3 ± 3.72) Bq kg ⁻¹ , respectively. Also, the average activity concentrations of ²²⁶ Ra, ²³² Th, ⁴⁰ K, and ¹³⁷ Cs radionuclides in the radish samples are (1.03 ± 0.06) Bq kg ⁻¹ , (0.21 ± 0.03) Bq kg ⁻¹ , (1,238.5 ± 284.9) Bq kg ⁻¹ , and (0.14 ± 0.02) Bq kg ⁻¹ , respectively. The highest observed TFs in radish samples were (0.27 ± 0.08) for ²²⁶ Ra, (0.09 ± 0.02) for ²³² Th, (6.38 ± 0.30) for ⁴⁰ K, and (0.15 ± 0.05) for ¹³⁷ Cs. The annual effective dose ingested was less than the global average value of the annual ingestion effective dose of 290 μSv y ⁻¹ by UNSCEAR (2000).

Natural radioactivity is receiving a lot of attention worldwide due to its essential role in human health. Sugar is a generic term for sweet, soluble carbohydrates, many of which find their way into food. Therefore, measuring natural radioactivity is critical as it has a direct impact on human safety. This research analyzed natural radionuclide activity levels in 22 samples of commonly consumed sugar from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. High-purity germanium (HPGe) detectors are used in gamma-ray spectrometers. Measurements in this study showed that ²²⁶Ra activity concentrations ranged from below minimum detectable activity (BMDA) to 5.16 ± 2.55 Bq kg^-1 with an average value of 0.80 ± 0.15 Bq kg^-1. In contrast, ²³²Th radionuclide activity concentrations ranged from BMDA to 3.11 ± 1.67 Bq kg^-1 with an average value of 0.51 ± 0.10 Bq kg^-1. Also, the activity concentration of ⁴⁰K ranged from BMDA to 30.71 ± 10.77 Bq kg^-1 with a mean of 6.44 ± 2.54 Bq kg^-1. Based on these results, a radiation risk index associated with sugar intake was calculated. It was verified that the radiation exposure due to sugar consumption in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq was below the permissible level of 290 μSv y^-1, and did not pose a radiation risk to public health.

The present study is to compare the radon activity concentration in agricultural and virgin soils from various locations along the Little Zab River (LZR) in the Iraqi Kurdistan region. We conducted 24 measurements of soil samples using long tube techniques equipped with an electric radon detector called RAD7 in our research. The findings revealed that the radon activity concentrations ranged from 37.3 ± 7.52 Bq m-3 to 298.25 ± 50.09 Bq m-3 in virgin soil, and from 33.03 ± 10.85 Bq m-3 to 320.25 ± 34.62 Bq.m-3 in agriculture soil. The annual effective dose was also calculated to be from 0.94 ± 0.19 mSv.y-1 to 8.08 ± 0.87 mSv.y-1 for virgin soil, and from 0.83 ± 0.27 mSv.y-1 to 8.08 ± 0.87 mSv.y-1 for agriculture soil in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. The field dose rates were measured using the RIIDEye Handheld Radiation Isotope Identifier and found to be within the range 56.8 nSv h-1 to 80.6 nSv h-1. It was observed that Agricultural soil has the highest radiation dose for humans compared to virgin soil.

This study aims to assess radon levels in the water of the Lower Zab River. Knowing the radon concentrations is crucial for understanding the potential risks to human health and implementing protective measures. ARAD7-H2O detector has been used to measure the radon concentration in 28 water samples from the Lower Zab River in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Results show that the radon activity concentrations ranged from 0.5 to 4 Bq.L−1, with an average of 0.61 Bq.L−1, and the resulting annual effective dose (AED) varied from 0.137 to 60.06 Sv.y−1, with an average of 12.08 Sv.y−1. The average radon concentration and AED in the measured samples are below the reference levels recommended by the ICRP and the World Health Organization. Consequently, the LZR water is suitable for human consumption and use and does not present any health hazards related to radon exposure.

In this study, the effect of the use of chemical fertilizers on natural radioactivity levels in agricultural soil was investigated. For this purpose, virgin and agricultural (fertilized) soils were collected from Erbil city, the capital of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. Gamma-ray spectrometry was applied using a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector to determine the activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K in soil samples. The results showed that the range of activity concentrations for 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K in virgin soils are (10.6-16.2) Bq/kg, (8.8-10.7) Bq/kg, and (241.8-340.9) Bq/kg, respectively, while the range of activity concentrations for 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K in agricultural soils are (11.9-18.2) Bq/kg, (8.8-12.4) Bq/kg, and (247.7-338.3) Bq/kg, respectively. The obtained values of activity concentration show that the application of chemical fertilizers elevated the natural radioactivity level of the soil. The radiological hazard parameters were also calculated in both the virgin and agricultural soil samples and compared with the international dose safety limit in the soil.