Natural Radioactivity Measurement in Soil Samples From The New Kufa University Location, Iraq

Abstract

Al-Najaf Al-Ashraf city on of the most important cities in Iraqi country it was chosen as the cultural Islamic capital for 2012 by the Islamic world ,Kufa university will be played big role of liability, cultural and education efficacies, this city had been exposed to artillery bombard expand along different areas in 1991 and 2003 in our research we try to test the studying area to know The total absorbed dose rate and the most possible hazards for this reasons the study was done. The natural radiation of thirty two samples of soil which collected randomly in June 2012 from the new Kufa University location were measured using Na(Tl) detection. The mean values activity concentrations of 238U, 232Th and 40K was (25.73±11.23 , 3.72±0.81 and 165.16±9.39 ) Bq kg-1 respectively . The highest value of the Radium equivalent activity was (30.870) Bq.kg–1 in (S2) which mean that all the soil samples values lower than (370Bq kg-1) the world average . External and internal hazard and gamma activity concentration (representative level index) indexes were lower than unity for all samples . The average value of absorbed dose rate calculated from activity concentration of 238U , 232Th and 40K was (20.553) nGy h-1 this value coincident to recommended. Annual effective dose in (?Sv/y) varies from (36.912) (?Sv/y) in (S15) to (15.460) (?Sv/y) in (S8) , all the soil samples have the annual effective dose less than the world average 460 (?Sv/y). The results can be consider as base values for distribution of natural radionuclides in the region and will be used as references information to assess any changed in the radioactive background level due to geological processes.