Radioactivity and Radionuclide Distribution in Jabel Bawr Oil Site of Kirkuk-Iraq

Abstract

Everything around us is continuously exposed to the radiation of the Naturally Occurring (NORM) such as cosmic rays and terrestrial radioactive elements. However but human and technological activities may contribute to increasing the effect causing what is called the Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (TENORM) In the present Radioactive Materials investigation, the radioactivity in soil samples from Jabal Bawr oil site of Kirkuk-Iraq have been studied using a high purity germanium (HPGe) detector. The specific activity of Ra-226, Th-232 , (40)k and Cs-137 varied between 24.4-68 Bq kg(-1), 11.6-27.2 Bq kg(-1) , 207.2-591 Bq kg(-1) and BDL-2.40 Bq kg(-1) respectively. The hazard indices (the radium equivalent activity, the absorbed gamma dose rate, the annual effective dose rate, the external and internal hazards, the Gamma radiation representative level index, and excess lifetime cancer risk have been calculated. The results obtained of some sites were found to be higher than the allowable worldwide values. Statistical analysis has been implemented to explain the obtained results.