Determining of radioactivity and the accompanying radiological hazards in the sediments of the Euphrates River and wells in Babylon governorate – Iraq

Abstract

The radioactivity and radiological hazards associated with sediment samples collected from 13 locations along the Euphrates River as well as 12 associated irrigation wells were tested using a high-purity germanium system (HPGe). The radioactivity of isotopes 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K (Iso-RTK) in these sites exceed the worldwide limits, which makes them a human health risk. The estimated radiological parameters of the Euphrates and the well sediments exceed the radium equivalent (RE), absorbed dose rate (ADR), annual effective dose external (AEDE), internal - external hazards indices (IEHI), , and gamma index (Iy) . The radioactivity ​​of 238U and 232Th (Iso-UT) are constant along the Euphrates River; 40K (Iso-K) concentrations are elevated after the Hindyia barrage and exceed worldwide limits.