Using Gamma Spectroscopy to Calculate Radioactive Contaminants in Foreign and Local Tobacco Samples

Abstract

The normal radioactivity levels of Uranium-238, Thorium-232, and Potassium-40 were calculated for ten types of foreign and local cigarettes available on the Iraqi market using a gamma-ray spectroscopy technique employing the germanium detector system. The results of this study showed that the average specific activity for each of Uranium-238, Thorium-232 and Potassium-40 were 21.689± 4.596, 18.906 ± 4.148, and 430.094 ± 19.449 (Bq/Kg) respectively. The annual effective dose, radium equivalent activity and excess lifetime cancer risk for the studied samples were also calculated, and their rates were 11.582 μsv/y, 81.841 Bq/Kg, and 40.538 people per million per year respectively. The outcomes indicate that the rate of concentration of uranium and thorium is lower than the permissible values, whereas the average concentration of potassium was slightly higher than the permissible values. This research is important because it warns against several types of cigarettes that contain high concentrations of radionuclides, which can lead to infection cancer and then lead to the death of the person who has used it profusely. Therefore, the aim of the current research is to evaluate the radiological risks of radionuclides in tobacco cigarette smoke by evaluating their natural radionuclide concentrations.