Academic Journal
Hydrogeochemical investigation of uranium and radon in groundwater and age-dependent radiological health risk assessment in Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Iraq.
| Τίτλος: | Hydrogeochemical investigation of uranium and radon in groundwater and age-dependent radiological health risk assessment in Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Iraq. |
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| Συγγραφείς: | Mohammed HA; Department of Ophthalmic Technology and Services, Raparin Technical and Vocational Institute, Ranya, Sulaymaniyah, 46012, Iraq., Qadr HM; Department of Ophthalmic Technology and Services, Raparin Technical and Vocational Institute, Ranya, Sulaymaniyah, 46012, Iraq; Department of Physics, College of Science, University of Raparin, Ranya, Sulaymaniyah, 46012, Iraq. Electronic address: hiwa.physics@uor.edu.krd. |
| Πηγή: | Applied radiation and isotopes : including data, instrumentation and methods for use in agriculture, industry and medicine [Appl Radiat Isot] 2026 Oct; Vol. 236, pp. 112784. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jul 01. |
| Τύπος έκδοσης: | Journal Article |
| Γλώσσα: | English |
| Στοιχεία περιοδικού: | Publisher: Pergamon Press Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 9306253 Publication Model: Print-Electronic Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1872-9800 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 09698043 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Appl Radiat Isot Subsets: MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: Oxford ; New York : Pergamon Press, c1993- |
| Ιατρικοί όροι (MeSH): | Uranium*/analysis , Radon*/analysis , Groundwater*/analysis , Groundwater*/chemistry , Water Pollutants, Radioactive*/analysis, Iraq ; Risk Assessment ; Radiation Monitoring ; Humans |
| Περίληψη: | Groundwater resources may harbor naturally occurring radioactive elements, particularly uranium and radon, presenting potential health hazards via ingestion and inhalation pathways. This investigation examined uranium and radon concentrations in groundwater samples obtained from Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Iraq, evaluating radiological safety and physicochemical characteristics. Uranium concentrations ranged from 0.7 ± 0.1 to 9.3 ± 0.5 μg/L, with a mean of 3.5 ± 2.5 μg/L. All samples complied with WHO permissible thresholds (30 μg/L); however, merely 15% (3 of 20 sites) satisfied ICRP guidelines (1.9 μg/L). Radon levels varied from 2.7 ± 0.5 to 22.3 ± 1.1 Bq/L with a mean of 11.0 ± 5.9 Bq/L. Eight sampling locations surpassed the USEPA recommended limit (11.1 Bq/L), while all measurements remained below WHO standards (100 Bq/L). Age-stratified annual ingestion dose calculations for uranium and radon revealed that most demographic groups remained within WHO recommended thresholds (100 μSv/y), with infants demonstrating the highest exposure levels (up to 103 μSv/y for radon), slightly exceeding the WHO limit. Pearson correlation analysis indicated weak to moderate associations between radionuclide concentrations and conventional water quality parameters, suggesting predominantly geogenic origin. Overall, the groundwater exhibits minimal radiological risk for consumption; nevertheless, continuous monitoring is advisable to ensure sustained public health protection and safe groundwater resource management. (Copyright © 2026 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.) |
| Competing Interests: | Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. |
| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Groundwater and health; Ingestion; Radon; Sulaymaniyah; Uranium |
| Substance Nomenclature: | 4OC371KSTK (Uranium) Q74S4N8N1G (Radon) 0 (Water Pollutants, Radioactive) |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20260703 Date Completed: 20260716 Latest Revision: 20260716 |
| Update Code: | 20260717 |
| DOI: | 10.1016/j.apradiso.2026.112784 |
| PMID: | 42398165 |
| Βάση Δεδομένων: | MEDLINE |
| ISSN: | 1872-9800 |
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| DOI: | 10.1016/j.apradiso.2026.112784 |