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Assessment of 222Rn, 226Ra, 238U, 218Po, and 214Po activity concentrations in the blood samples of workers at selected building material factories in Erbil City

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Abstract

The objective of this research is to assess the impact of radon concentration on workers at certain construction material industries in Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The CR-39 solid-state track detector was used in this experiment to monitor radon levels and their daughters. For this purpose, as a case study group, 70 workers were divided into seven subgroups (gypsum, cement plant, lightweight block, marble, red brick 1, crusher stone, and concrete block 2), and 20 healthy volunteers were selected as a control group. The findings demonstrate that the mean concentrations of radon, radium, uranium, and radon daughters deposited on the detector face (POS) and chamber walls (POW) for the case study group were 9.61 ± 1.52 Bq/m3, 0.33 ± 0.05 Bq/Kg, 5.39 ± 0.86 mBq/Kg, 4 ± 0.63, and 16.62 ± 2.64 mBq/m3, whereas for the control group, they were 3.39 ± 0.58 Bq/m3, 0.117 ± 0.03 Bq/Kg, 1.91 ± 0.32 mBq/Kg, 1.41 ± 0.24, and 5.88 ± 1 mBq/m3, respectively. The statistical analysis revealed that radon, radium, uranium, and POW and POS concentrations were statistically significant (p ≤ 0.001) in the samples for the case study groups of cement, lightweight block, red brick 1, marble, and crusher stone factories in comparison to the control group; however, the results for gypsum and concrete block 2 factories were not statistically significant in comparison to the control group. Intriguingly, the radon levels in every blood sample examined were far lower than the 200 Bq/m3 limit established by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Hence, it may be argued that the blood is devoid of contaminants. These results are crucial for determining whether or not an individual is exposed to substantial quantities of radiation and for demonstrating a link between radon, its daughter, uranium, and the prevalence of cancer among workers in the Kurdish region of Iraq.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiotherapy, Erbil Technical Health and Medical College, Erbil Polytechnic University, Kurdistan Region, Erbil City, Iraq

    Sardar Qader Othman

  2. Department of Physics, College of Science, Salahaddin University-Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Erbil City, Iraq

    Ali Hassan Ahmed

  3. Department of Biology, College of Science, Salahaddin University- Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Erbil City, Iraq

    Sarbaz Ibrahim Mohammed

Authors
  1. Sardar Qader Othman
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  2. Ali Hassan Ahmed
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  3. Sarbaz Ibrahim Mohammed
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Contributions

All of the authors had an impact on the idea and layout of the study. Sardar Qader Othman, Ali Hassan Ahmad, and Sarbaz Ibrahim Mohammed assembled the materials, collected the data, and finished the analysis. Once the initial draft was completed by Sardar Qader Othman, all contributors offered criticism on earlier versions of the work. The final draft was examined and revised by all authors.

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Correspondence to Sardar Qader Othman.

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All authors have read, comprehended, and cooperated, as necessary, with the Instructions for Authors’ declaration on “Ethical Responsibilities of Authors.” The Salahaddin University’s-Erbil ethics committee accepted the blood collection used in this investigation.

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Othman, S.Q., Ahmed, A.H. & Mohammed, S.I. Assessment of 222Rn, 226Ra, 238U, 218Po, and 214Po activity concentrations in the blood samples of workers at selected building material factories in Erbil City. Environ Monit Assess 195, 673 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-023-11290-x

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