Open AccessInvestigating the Level of Radon 222Rn and Radium 226Ra in Soil Samples Taken From Al-Amarah in the South of Iraq
Author(s) -
Younis M Atiah Al-zahy,
Murtadha Mzahiwat
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of physics. conference series
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.21
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1742-6596
pISSN - 1742-6588
DOI - 10.1088/1742-6596/1829/1/012028
Subject(s) - radium , exhalation , radon , soil test , environmental science , environmental chemistry , mean value , radon gas , radiochemistry , chemistry , soil water , soil science , mathematics , physics , medicine , statistics , quantum mechanics , radiology
Radon ( 222 Rn) is created in the soil by radioactive decay of Radium ( 226 Ra) and then emitted from the ground into the atmosphere (exhalation), environmental assessments of radon gas ( 222 Rn) are keys to the assessment of air pollution. The major objective of the current study was to examine the ( 222 Rn) exhalation rates and the ( 226 Ra) concentrations in the soil samples. Thirty soil samples have been collected from ten streets in the region. The ( 222 Rn) exhalation rate and concentrations of ( 226 Ra) in soil samples were calculated using “Can Technique”. The measurements have shown that the surface and mass exhalation rate were varied from 3.9∓0.3 to 18.3∓0.3 μ Bq.kg −1 .s −1 , with a mean value of 7.8∓0.3 μ Bq.kg −1 .s −1 , and 12.9∓0.5 to 60.7∓1 μ Bq.m −2 .s −1 , with a mean value of 25.5∓0.9 μ Bq.m −2 .s −1 , respectively. In addition, the results showed that the values for 226 Ra concentrations ranged from 1.8∓0.04 to 8.7∓0.1 Bq.kg −1 , with a mean value of 3.7∓0.1 Bq.kg −1 . Overall, the indications showed that the levels of ( 226 Ra) in soil samples are less than the hazardous levels of human health 370 Bq.kg −1 .