Assessment of natural radionuclides in powder milk imported to Erbil Governorate, Kurdistan Region-Iraq.

In this study, the activity concentrations of 40K, 232Th, and 226Ra radionuclides were estimated in imported milk powder samples from 40 brands available in local markets in Erbil Governorate, Iraq. The measurements were performed using High Purity Germanium (HPGe) detector. The results indicated that the average activity concentrations of 40K, 232Th, and 226Ra were 241, 0.476, and 1.23 Bq kg-1, respectively, and comparisons were made based on the typical consumption characteristics of powdered milk by Kurdistan residents. In all investigated age groups (2-17 years), the average annual effective doses were below the ICRP-recommended limit of 1 mSv y-1 for public exposure. Radiological hazard parameters were determined based on the measured radioactivity concentrations. The relation between all the determined activities of natural radionuclides and radiological parameters was examined using multivariate statistical analysis techniques such as histograms, descriptive statistics, and Pearson correlation analyses. The cancer risk in all samples was lower than the allowable value of (2.5 × 10-3), while the ingestion dose in two samples was higher than the worldwide acceptable value of (0.29) mSv y-1.

Radiological health assessment of infant milk in Erbil Governorate, Iraq.

In this research, the radioactivity caused by natural radionuclides (40 K, 232Th, and 226Ra) was evaluated in infant milk consumed in Erbil, Iraq. The measurements were performed using an HPGe gamma-ray spectrometer. The variation of activity concentrations in milk samples was (99.56-256.9 Bq kg-1) for 40 K, (BDL-0.53 Bq kg-1) for 232Th, and (0.27-5.59 Bq kg-1) for 226Ra, as determined by the results. The radiological parameters of Eing, Dorg, and ELCR were calculated and compared to international standards. The correlation between computed radiological hazard parameters and natural radionuclides was analyzed statistically using Pearson's correlation. Overall, the results indicate that infant milk consumption in Erbil is radiologically safe and that consumers of these brands of milk are unlikely to be directly exposed to radiological health risks.

Transfer of natural radioactive nuclides from soil to plant crops.

In this study, we determined the activity concentrations of naturally occurring radioactive nuclides in plant crops and the corresponding soil collected from greenhouses and agricultural fields in Erbil city in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region by using a high purity germanium detector. The soil-to-plant crops transfer factors were determined for radioactive nuclides. The results showed that the activity concentration ranges for 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K in agricultural soils were (11.94-18.24) Bq/kg, (8.80-12.36) Bq/kg and (247.65-338.26) Bq/kg, respectively. The activity concentrations ranges for 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K in plant crops were (0.20-1.45) Bq/kg, (0.11-0.48) Bq/kg, and (68.07-1355.36) Bq/kg, respectively. The transfer factors from soil to plant crops for 226Ra, 232Th and 40K were in the ranges of (0.011-0.087), (0.011-0.046), and (0.201-5.130), respectively. The annual effective doses from consuming plant crops were also estimated. The values obtained were comparable to the internationally recommended values.