Analysis of Radon Concentrations in Drinking Water in Erbil Governorate (Iraqi Kurdistan) and its Health Effects

Hamid Ismail, Asaad

	Analysis of Radon Concentrations in Drinking Water in Erbil Governorate (Iraqi Kurdistan) and its Health Effects
Tikrit Journal of Pure Science
Article 1, Volume 13, Issue 3, 2008, Pages 1-8
Author
Asaad Hamid Ismail
Abstract
This paper presents the results of radon level in drinking water in Erbil governorate and its districts. The measurements were carried out on 42 samples (tap water) of 21 major areas, and alpha track detectors (type CR-39) were used for the estimations. The average values for radon concentration of tap water were variable from the district to another, and it was found to be (4.693±2.213 Bq/l) with a maximum of 9.61Bq/L in Hugran region and minimum of 2.01 Bq/L in Haji-Omaran city. In addition, the average annual effective doses, and equilibrium factor between radon and its daughter were measured in each area and it was found to be (11.546±8.566 µSv/Yr) and (0.204±0.06) respectively. On the other hand, this paper presents an evaluation of the inhalation and ingestion doses from exposure to radon and also the contribution of radon concentration in drinking water to indoor radon concentration was estimated. When the results were compared with the internationally recommended reference levels (U.S Environmental Protection Agency limit 11.1 Bq/l), there were no indications of existence of radon problems in the water sources in this survey. therefore the drinking water in Erbil governorate is safe as far as radon concentration is concerned.
Keywords
Risks of radon; Drinking water; Track detectors and Erbil Governorate

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