Radon concentrations in the Groundwater of Kirkuk city /Iraq

Abstract

Groundwater is becoming more and more recognized as a crucial and indispensable water supply on a worldwide basis. The previous few decades witnessed a high increase in its demand due to the overpopulation and improving living standards. Natural radioactivity in water has garnered a lot of attention in recent years. Twenty-two groundwater samples from Kirkuk region in Iraq were tested for radon using RAD7, an electronic radon detector coupled to a RAD-H2O accessory (Durridge Co., USA) with an average value of 10.31 BqL-1, the observed radon concentration ranged from 0.18 BqL-1 to 23.005 BqL-1. The radon concentration readings that were measured fall well within the range of the maximum contamination limit (MCL) of 11.1 BqL-1 set by the EPA. The annual effective dose for individual consumer was 0.039 mSvy-1 within the public exposure limit of 1 mSvy-1 set by the WHO and UNSCEAR. Farmers can feel secure here, and the population is not particularly at risk from radon concentrations, based on the measured values for subterranean water in the study location. This study ended without considering how radon concentration is impacted by the physics of groundwater and chemical properties like PH and EC. After the sample is kept for a month, the radon concentration is recalculated.

Keywords

• radon gas
• groundwater
• annual effective dose
• radioactive pollution
• rad7 detector