DISTRIBUTION OF 137CS IN THE SURFACE SOIL FROM  SELECTED AREAS IN IRAQ

K. Ali, Kamal; K. Ali, Kamal

	DISTRIBUTION OF 137CS IN THE SURFACE SOIL FROM SELECTED AREAS IN IRAQ
Iraqi Bulletin of Geology and Mining
Article 1, Volume 7, Issue 2, 2011, Pages 1-8
Authors
Kamal K. Ali; Kamal K. Ali
Abstract
Environment of Iraq was affected by global and regional fallout from the nuclear weapon tests and nuclear accidents. This paper presents the results of studying the deposition levels and distributions of 137Cs, in soil samples collected from 281 sites throughout the Iraqi territory, between the years 1999 and 2003. The objective of this work is to provide regional radioactivity background levels for cesium in surface soils of Iraq. Activity concentration of 137Cs, in the collected surface soil samples were measured. A gamma spectrometric system based on a pure germanium detector was used. The minimum and maximum activity concentrations of 137Cs in the collected soil samples ranged between below detection limit (BDL, about 0.5 Bq/Kg) to 175 Bq/Kg dry soil, with average of 21.9 Bq/Kg. The maximum concentration of 137Cs (175 Bq/Kg) was found in a soil sample collected from Um Al-Waz area near Akashat, within the western part of Iraq. The average concentration of 137Cs in surface soils of the northern part of Iraq, which was affected by Chernobyl accident that occurred in Ukraine in the year 1986, was about 15 Bq/Kg, while it was about 7 Bq/Kg in the surface soils of the southern part of Iraq. The highest average was in the soils of the western part of Iraq, about 33 Bq/Kg. The concentrations of 137Cs in soil samples, with depth were measured in some selected sites. Migration of 137Cs to depth more than 10 cm was not recorded.

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