تقى حيدر عبد المحسن

Uranium (U) is a heavy metal with chemical toxicity and radiological hazards. Chronic exposure, even at low concentrations, may contribute to serious health risks, including cancer. For this reason, it was necessary to measure the uranium content (UC) in blood samples of two groups of women (healthy and cancer patients) residing in the city center of Al-Muthanna Governorate. The Fission Track Analysis (FTA) technique with a CR-39 detector was applied to evaluate the UC in blood samples. Statistical comparisons between concentrations were performed using an independent t-test (p ≤ 0.05). The result illustrates that the UC in blood samples of the healthy women ranged from (0.74 ± 0.04 to 2.22 ± 0.04) with an average value equal to 1.14 ± 0.06 μg/l. In contrast, the UC for the cancer group ranged from (1.70 ± 0.04 to 4.22 ± 0.06) μg/l, with the mean value equal to 2.93 ± 0.05 μg/l. The findings revealed statistically significant differences (p < 0.001) in UC between the two groups, suggesting a correlation between the incidence of cancer in Iraqi women and elevated levels of UC in their blood. Preliminary observation showed higher UC among women working in the health sector (1.50 μg/l for healthy women and 3.59 μg/l for patients) compared to women in other occupations included in this study. Indicating a potential relationship between occupation type and increased UC. However, this association remains unconfirmed and requires further studies.

Assay of the water samples is the preferred way to know the natural radioactivity levels that are very important for the protection of the environment and human health. Research aims to determine the radon gas levels and its radiological hazard risk in tap water from different locations in nature (agricultural, industrial and residential) of Al-Muthanna governorate, by effective technique of CR-39 alpha detector. The results of the investigation showed that the values of the radon concentrations CRn ranged between 2.16±0.15 Bq/l to 4.32 ± 0.18 Bq/l, with the average value of CRn is 3.22 ± 0.18 Bq/l. The mean values of the radiological hazards such as annual effective dose (AED), radon exhalation rates (RER), and dissolved radon gas content (Cd) were 11.76 µSv/y, 0.0039 Bq/m2.h and 58.4 Bq/l, respectively. It was found that the mean value of the radon gas concentration in all the studied tap water samples were within the acceptable limits according to the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) and United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA).