Measuring radioactive content and the effective radiation doses of natural origin in most consumed foodstuffs in the city of Kut – Iraq

Abstract

Natural radioactive materials known by the term (NORM) are among the most important sources of radiation that can be transmitted to humans through eating foodstuffs. Therefore, researchers took care to study the levels of this type of radiation. In the current study, the levels of radioactivity were determined for the three most important natural radioactive elements, uranium (U-238), thorium (Th-232), and potassium (K-40) in (29) of the most consumed food samples collected from Wasit Governorate Markets. A gamma-ray spectroscopy system consisting of a sodium iodide activated thallium detector (NaI)Tl with dimensions of “3×3” and electronic units attached to it was used in this study. The results obtained from the studied samples showed the concentrations of (U-238, Th-232, and K-40), the value of the annual effective dose, the equivalent concentration of radium Raeq-226, and external and internal risk factors indicated that all concentrations of the radioactive elements targeted in the study were within the permissible limits despite the discrepancy in the values of the concentrations of these elements according to the samples.