Estimation of Natural Radioactivity and corresponding doses in Al-Najaf Teaching Hospital, Iraq

Abstract

Measuring natural radioactivity levels within residential buildings is of great public health importance. The primary objective of the study is to investigate radionuclides concentrations in Al Najaf Teaching Hospital building in Najaf Governorate. It also aims to assess the potential risk of cancer due to radioactivity exposure. To achieve this goal, a comprehensive radioactivity survey was conducted across 29 different locations in the hospital using NaI gamma ray spectroscopy. The objective of this survey was to thoroughly evaluate the health risks that the hospital workers are exposed to and implement measures to mitigate these risks. The specific radioactivity values for the radioisotopes ²³⁸U, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K for soil samples were ranged from 1.07 Bq/kg to 39.31 Bq/kg, from 1.23 to 18.55 Bq/kg and 56.81 to 428.86 Bq/kg respectively. In addition, both the annual effective dose, the number of lung cancer cases and other hazard indices were seen to be less than the permissible limit adopted by international organizations.