Abdulameer Kazem Farhood
The radon concentrations and radium effective contents in truffle samples collected randomly from Samawa desert in southern Iraq, have been measured using both techniques, active (RAD-7) and passive (LR-115 type II nuclear track detectors). The concentrations measured by both techniques are found to vary from (5.54 Bq/m3) to (28.5 Bq/m3 ) with a mean value of (14.447 Bq/m3 ) and from (18.5 Bq/m3) to (80.7 Bq/m3) with a mean value of (39.175 Bq/m3) respectively. The effective radium content are found to vary from ( 0.755 Bq/kgm) to (3.293 Bq/kgm) with a mean value of (1.599 Bq/kgm). The values of radon concentrations and radium contents are found to be quite lower than the permissible value of (400 Bq/m3) and (32 Bq/kgm) recommended by (ICRP) and (UNSCEAR). From radiation protection point of view, it was found that the Samawa truffles do not pose any significant health hazard for the presence of Rn222 concentration and Ra226 contents, and it is considered radiologically safe for human consumption
