Assessment of Natural and Industrial Radioactivity and Radiological Hazard in Sediments of Tigris River of Dhuluiya City, Iraq

Specific activity of Natural and industrial radionuclides in sediments samples collected from the Tigris river of Dhuliya city of Salah Uddin Governorate was measured using γ-ray spectroscopy. The γ-ray spectrometry was carried out using NaI(Tl) detector. The results indicated that specific activity of 226 Ra ranged from 1.51Bq/kg to 84.68Bq/kg with average 15.48Bq/kg, 228 Ac ranged from 1.47 to 49.84Bq/kg with average 8.36Bq/kg, 40 K ranged from 56.51Bq/kg to 711.34Bq/kg with average 418.47Bq/kg and 137 Cs ranged from 2.77Bq/kg to 9.78Bq/kg with average 2.88Bq/kg. The average concentrations of these radionuclides were less than the internationally accepted limit except for 40 K radionuclides. The radiological parameters of the radium equivalent activity (Raeq), absorbed gamma dose rate (Dγ), external and internal annual effective dose (AEDE), external and internal risks (Hex, Hin), and gamma radiation representative level index (Iγ) were calculated and found to be lower than the internationally acceptable limit value.