ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Risk Assessment of Outdoor Background
Gamma Radiation at Duhok City,
in Kurdistan Region, Iraq
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1
Department of Physiotherapy, College of Health Science, Erbil Medical University, Erbil, Iraq
2
Department of Civil and Environment, College of Engineering, Zakho University, Zakho, Iraq
3
MAXIV Laboratory, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
4
Duhok Environment office, Government Council of Ministers Environment of Protecting Improvement
Board Duhok, Iraq
Submission date: 2022-04-18
Final revision date: 2022-06-15
Acceptance date: 2022-06-24
Online publication date: 2022-09-14
Publication date: 2022-11-03
Corresponding author
Furman Kasseem Ahmed
Physiotherapy Department, Hawler Medical University/Health Science College, 100meter, 178, Erbil, Iraq
Pol. J. Environ. Stud. 2022;31(6):4989-4995
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ABSTRACT
In this study, a model „ADM606M Portable Multifunction Ratemeter /Scalar“ (Gamma GP110
Detector) was used to estimate the effective dose rate in (μSv.h-1). The data were analyzed for three
specified hours per day (9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 1:00 p.m.) from January 2009 to June 2016. In July
2019, the gamma scout radiation meter (dosimeter) was used to measure the outdoor gamma effective
dose rate (μSv.h-1) for the same building every minute for three hours, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., at 1m
above the second floor of the building. The average effective dose rate and average Annual Effective
Dose Rate were 0.158±0.013 μSv.h-1 and 0.2614145 mSv.y-1, respectively, within acceptable limits.
The excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) value was also assessed to be (0.91495×10–³), which was found
to be greater than the UNSCEAR, 2000 stated world average (0.29×10–³). The risks of cancer morbidity
and mortality for specific organs and tissues from external sources of low linear energy transfer (LET)
radiation were also assessed. They showed biological effects associated with the potential long-term
exposure of Dohuk city residents to natural background radiation.