Radioactivity levels of 238U, 234Th, 40K and 137C in the soil surface of selected regions from Baghdad governorate

Gamma radiation emitted by the radionuclides that exist in the soil is the biggest contributor to ionising radiation exposure which has enough energy to ionise or excited the atoms of the substance. Eighteen topsoil samples were taken from some locations in Baghdad to analyse and determine the specific activity of the radionuclides (238U, 232Th, 40K, and 137Cs) using gamma spectroscopy systems with an HPGe at the efficiency of 40%. The mean value results of the specific activity for 238U, 232Th, 40K, and 137Cs are 15.692±1.755 Bq/kg, 22.560±3.22 Bq/kg, 386.053±21.58 Bq/kg, and 12.0773±1.23 Bq/kg, respectively. The mean value results of indicators gamma (Raeq, Dy, DCs, AEDEin, AEDEout, Hex, Hin, and Iγ) are 74.383 Bq/kg, 36.320 nGy/h, 2.042 nGy/h, 0.178 mSv/y, 0.045 mSv/y, 0.248, 0.206, and 0.577. The mean values of specific activities and indicators of gamma hazard are within the acceptable limit given by UNSEAR, so, there is no hazard to humans lives in areas under study.