Assessing the Levels of Radioactivity and Evaluating the Radiation Hazards in Soil Samples of Badoosh Cement Plant in Nineveh Governorate, Iraq

The aim of this study is to measure the radioactivity levels in the soil of the area around Badoosh cement plant, and to evaluate the radiological hazards of radionuclides. We used gamma-spectroscopy with an (HPGe) detector to estimate the specific activities of natural ( 226 Ra, 232 Th, 40 K) and artificial ( 137 Cs) radionuclides in the soil of Badoosh cement plant. The results show that the mean value of specific activity of 226 Ra is (12.78±1.035Bq/kg), and for 232 Th the mean value is (16.142±0.74 Bq/kg), and for 40 K it was (153.903±4.98 Bq/kg), and the mean value for 137 Cs is (0.6351±0.18 Bq/kg). Radiological hazard indices were determined according to the activity concentration of the radionuclides in the area under study. The mean value of radium equivalent (Ra eq ) is (47.719 Bq/kg), while the mean value of absorbed dose (D γ ) is (22.074 nGy/h). The values were measured for the indoor equivalent annual effective dose (AEDE in ) and outdoor equivalent (AEDE out ), the mean value of (AEDE in ) is (108.288 μSv/y), and the mean value of (AEDE out ) is (27.072 μSv/y), and the mean value of the excess life time cancer risk (ELCR) is (94.752 10 -6 ). When measuring the external (H ex ) and internal (H in ) radiological indices, the mean value for (H ex ) is (0.174) and the mean value for (H in ) is (..165). While the mean value for gamma radiation index (I γ ) is (0.349). The mean value of the annual gonadal dose equivalent (AGDE) is (155.306 μSv/y) and the mean value of the ambient dose equivalent rate H*(10) is (29.236 nSv/h). The radiological hazard Indices were within the internationally accepted limits recommended by UNSCEAR; thus, it can be concluded that there are no radiological hazards due to the direct and continuous exposure of radiation on working workers in this cement plant and organisms that live in this region.