Radionuclide concentrations analysis of Duhok air atmosphere by gamma spectrometry (original) (raw)

Introduction: Atmospheric air is directly related to human health and irreplaceable to human life and thus an influential parameter of environmental science. Radioactive materials in the air may result in exposure of man every day of our lives by inhalation or ingestion of particulate matter suspended or deposited on vegetation or products derived from animals, which has been ubiquitous on earth since its creation. The main goal of this study is to measure the radioactivity concentration of the natural and artificial radionuclides of the Duhok air. Materials and Methods: Twenty samples of air filters were collected from different locations of Duhok City and its surroundings by low volume air samplers pump in the summer/autumn and winter/spring seasons. Air filter samples were prepared and analyzed by a well-type thallium-activated sodium iodide NaI(TI) detector. Results and Discussion: The average activity concentrations of 214Pb, 214Bi, 212Pb, 228Ac, 40K and 137Cs are 4.98±1.20, 4....