Determination of the Radioactivity in Soil and Water in Baghdad, Karbala and Basrah Samples

number: 
1309
إنجليزية
department: 
Degree: 
Author: 
Mustafa Arab badai Al-Baidhani
Supervisor: 
Dr. Nada F. Tawfiq
: Dr. Ahmad K. Ahmad
year: 
2006

The aim of this project is to measure the uranium and radon gas concentrations in soil and water samples taken from regions situated in Baghdad, Karbala and Basrah, and to limit the level of contamination with radionuclides for these regions during the 2003 war.The first part contains the determination of uranium concentration in soil and water samples using CR-39 Track detector. The nuclear reaction used a source of nuclear fission fragments is 235-U (n , f) obtained by the bombardment of U-235 with thermal neutrons from (Am-Be) source which has flux of (5 ×103 n cm-2 s-1). The concentrations values were calculated by a comparison with standard samples which prepared in our laboratory.The results obtained show that the higher concentration of uranium in soil samples was (2.73 ppm) in Al-Tajii region, and the higher concentration for water samples was (2.12 ppm) in Al-Ashaar region.The second part contains the determination of radon concentration in soil and water samples using alpha-emitters registration which emits from radon gas in (CR-39) track detector.The results show that the higher concentration for radon gas in soil samples was (666 Bq/m3) in Al-Tajii region and in water samples was(14 Bq/m3) in Al-Ashaar region.The results show the maximum values of uranium and radon concentrations were in the (Al-Tajii and Al-Ashaar) regions, because these regions were a field of military operations during the 2003 war.