E. F. SALMAN*, MOHSIN KADHIM MUTTELAB AND JWAD K. MANII
Department of Physics, College of Science, University of Babylon, Iraq
*(e-mail : entesserfarhan@gmail.com; Mobile : 07806963108)
(Received : July 21, 2019; Accepted : September 18, 2019)
ABSTRACT
Twenty-five soil samples of Najaf provinces, used for the purpose of measuring the radiation pollution and concentration of the elements in the region using γ-ray spectrometry NaI (Tl) detector for the purpose of measuring the concentration of natural radionuclides of 238U, 232Th, 235U and 40K, found the activity of 238U (0.027±0.023 to 27.913±0.871 Bq/kg), (4.5751±0.447 to 31.753±0.745 Bq/kg) for 232Th,
(44.731±1.275 to 368.768±3.663 Bq/kg) for 40K and from 0.001±0.007 to 1.286±0.243 for 235U. The radiological hazards due to natural radionuclides content calculated such as gamma dose rate (AD), radium
equivalent activity and annual effective dose equivalent (AEDE) ranged between 0.4498 to 0.121 Bq/kg. Also X-Ray Fluorescent (XRF) spectrometer was used to determine natural elements. The results of the present work concerning values of the specific activity concentrations for 238U, 232Th and 40K, and the parameters (radium equivalent activity, absorbed gamma dose rate, indoor and outdoor annual effective dose equivalent, external annual effective dose, the gamma index, internal and external hazard indicies), all were found to be lower than their corresponding allowed values given by UNSCEAR and hence will pose relatively none serious health risk. The results were then inserted into the computer memory and converted to digital data. The Gis 10.4 program was used to produce radio maps of the governorate of Najaf.
Key words : Heavy material , X-Ray Fluorescent (XRF), natural radioactivity