en Radiation Biology Radiation Biology تحقيق بديع Original Research <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:10pt"><span style="text-justify:newspaper"><span style="text-kashida-space:50%"><span style="line-height:119%"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="color:black"><span lang="en-US" style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="color:#1f497d"><span style="font-style:italic"><span style="font-weight:bold"><span style="language:en-US">Background</span></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="en-US" style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="color:#1f497d"><span style="font-weight:bold"><span style="language:en-US">:</span></span></span></span></span> <span lang="en-US" style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="color:black"><span style="language:en-US">Natural radioactivity concentrations of 238 U, 232 Th, and 40 K in surface soil specimens from various sectors in Sadr city were collected and measured by HPGe detector. </span></span></span></span><span lang="en-US" style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="color:#1f497d"><span style="font-style:italic"><span style="font-weight:bold"><span style="language:en-US">Materials and Methods</span></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="en-US" style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="color:#1f497d"><span style="font-weight:bold"><span style="language:en-US">:</span></span></span></span></span><span lang="en-US" style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="color:black"><span style="language:en-US"> Twenty specimens were collected from selected sites in the study district. The total average activity concentrations of radionuclides 238 U, 232 Th and 40 K were 15.35&plusmn;0.82 Bq/kg, 13.31&plusmn;0.79 Bq/Kg, and 315.39&plusmn;18.05 Bq/kg, respectively. Correlations between these radionuclides demonstrate a secular equilibrium in the examined soil. </span></span></span></span><span lang="en-US" style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="color:#1f497d"><span style="font-style:italic"><span style="font-weight:bold"><span style="language:en-US">Results</span></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="en-US" style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="color:#1f497d"><span style="font-weight:bold"><span style="language:en-US">:</span></span></span></span></span> <span lang="en-US" style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="color:black"><span style="language:en-US">It was found that the average rate of absorbed dose is 87.510&plusmn;21.555 nGy/h which is below the maximum limit except for specimens S13 and S14, where their values are close to the permissible limit. The indoor gamma-ray absorbed dose rate exceeds the permissible limit in the soil specimens S13 and S14. Radium equivalent activities, external and internal hazard indices, representative, with respect to the examined soil, do not override the global limits. </span></span></span></span><span lang="en-US" style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="color:#1f497d"><span style="font-style:italic"><span style="font-weight:bold"><span style="language:en-US">Conclusions</span></span></span></span></span></span><span lang="en-US" style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="color:#1f497d"><span style="font-weight:bold"><span style="language:en-US">:</span></span></span></span></span><span lang="en-US" style="font-size:9.0pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="color:black"><span style="language:en-US"> Average concentrations of the radioactive elements were lower than the worldwide mean values. 40 K concentration and lifetime cancer risk&nbsp; and&nbsp; in soil specimens S13, S14, and S20 were above the recommended limit, while total annual effective dose equivalent&nbsp;&nbsp; is very close to the permissible limits provided by UNSCEAR and ICRP.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div> Soil, radioactivity, hazard, absorbed dose, life time risk, Iraq. 293 298 http://ijrr.com/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1-1041&slc_lang=en&sid=1 I.T. Al-Alawy drimantarik@uomustansiriyah.edu.iq 7900319475328460023755 7900319475328460023755 Yes Physics Department, College of Science, Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, Iraq W.I. Taher 7900319475328460023756 7900319475328460023756 No Physics Department, College of Science, Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, Iraq O.A. Mzher 7900319475328460023757 7900319475328460023757 No Directorates of Radioactive Waste Treatments and Management, Ministry of Science and Technology, Baghdad, Iraq