Natural radionuclides in six selected fish consumed in south Iraq and their committed effective doses

Abstract

Natural radionuclides in six selected fish collected from Shatt Al-Arab River south Iraq have been analysed by means of a gamma-ray spectrometry (HPGe) and estimated of committed effective dose intakes of the radionuclides 226Ra, 232Th and 40K. The concentration of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K have been found to vary from 0.86 ± 0.21 to 6.41 ± 0.81 Bq kg−1 with an average of 2.79 ± 0.61, from 1.18 ± 0.17 to 5.69 ± 0.13 with an average of 3.23 ± 0.44 Bq kg−1 and from 86.34 ± 18.21 to 120.21 ± 28.74 with an average of 101.52 ± 19.06 Bq kg−1, respectively. The results showed the concentration of radionuclides exceeded the results reported in the wide world. The dose due to consumption of fish by the public has also been determined and it has been below the dose limit recommended by World Health Organization.