Assessment of Annual Effective Dose and Excess Lifetime Cancer Risk in Grain Samples Collected from Kerbala Governorate, Iraq

Natural radioactivity for gamma emitters (specific activity U-238, Th-232, and K-40) using NaI(Tl) detectors and alpha emitters (concentrations of Rn-222, Ra-226, and U-238) using CR-39 detector was determined in some grains samples that collected from Kerbala Governorate markets, Iraq. Also, annual effective dose and some radiological parameters due to gamma and alpha emitters to assess the health risk were calculated. The results show that the average value of specific activity with (S.E) for U-238 was 6.61 +/- 0.91 Bq/kg, for Th-232 was 3.07 +/- 0.22 Bq/kg, and for K-40 was 227.59 +/- 32.34 Bq/kg. while the average value of alpha emitters concentrations for Rn-222, Ra-226, and U-238 were 3.99 +/- 1.13 Bq/m(3), 4.69 +/- 1.28 mBq/kg and 0.072 +/- 0.019 Bq/kg respectively. The results of average total annual effective dose associated with the exposure due to gamma and alpha emitted from ingestion grain samples in the present study were 0.139 +/- 0.013 mSv/y and 0.172 +/- 0.047 mu Sv/y, respectively. The grain samples in present study having normal levels of radiological hazard due to natural gamma and alpha emitters within global limit. Therefore, it can be concluded that a grain sample does not pose any kind of health hazards or radiological effects to the inhabitant of the study area.