Abstract
In this work, the activity concentrations of naturally occurring radioactive material including 238U, 232Th, and 40K were measured of some amber rice samples cultivated in southern Baghdad and Al Najaf governorate and used in Baghdad governorate, Iraq in 2018, using gamma-ray spectrometer with NaI (Tl) detector. The results show that the activity concentrations for 238U ranged from (2.68 to 10.81) Bq/kg with average 5.94 Bq/kg, 232Th ranged from (B.D.L to 3.37) Bq/kg with average 2.65 Bq/kg, and for 40K ranged from (4.48 to 35.7) Bq/kg with average 16.84 Bq/kg. The annual effective dose from rice consumption by adults for 238U, 232Th, and 40K ranged from (0.41 to 1.6) x10-5 Sv/y with average 0.9 x10-5 Sv/y, (B.D.L to 0.42) x10-5 Sv/y with average 0.2 x10-5 Sv/y, and (0.17 to 1.2) x10-5 Sv/y with average 0.45 x10-5 Sv/y respectively. All values of the average specific activities are less than the global average values of ICRP, and the annual effective dose from rice consumption by adults was lower than the permissible limit of (1 m Sv/y) recommended by the International Commission on Radiological Protection.
Highlights
Radionuclides are found throughout nature and exist in the soil, water and food
The Aim of the study is to determine the specific activities of natural 0radionuclides (238U, 232Th, and 40K) in amber Iraqi rice samples cultivated in the middle and the south of the country using Gamma spectroscopy technique with NaI(Tl) scintillation detector
Three rice samples (1 kg weight of each sample) were collected from fives farming fields (two from south Baghdad and three samples from Al-Najaf governorate farming fields area are shown in table (1), these samples are kept in Marinally beakers and stored for 30 days before gamma ray analysis is done to allow 226Ra and its short-lived progenies to reach secular equilibrium between uranium and thorium with respective progenies
Summary
Radionuclides are found throughout nature and exist in the soil, water and food. These radionuclides have halflives that are approximately the earth's age or older (i.e. about 4 to 5 billion years) [1]. The radioactivity present in air or in the agricultural land and in soil may transfer to the crops grown on it. It happens, that an amount of some radioactive elements find their way into human bodies [2]. The radioactivity is shifted to the human diet [3] These radionuclides will get transferred into plants together with the nutrients throughout mineral uptake and accumulation in varied components and even reach edible portions [4]. It is well known that traces of radionuclides are found in air, soil, water and human bodies, we inhale and ingest radionuclides every day of our lives and radioactive materials have been ubiquitous on earth since its creation [1,5]
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