Journal of Environmental Protection, 2014, 5, 200-206
Published Online February 2014 (http://www.scirp.org/journal/jep)
http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/jep.2014.53024
Determination Uranium Concentrations and Effective Dose
of Drinking Water for Nineveh Governorate—Iraq, Using
Kinetic Phosphorescence Analyzer (KPA)
Shafik Shakier Shafik1, Bushra Ali Ahmed2, Mazin Mohammed2
1
Department of Physics, College of Science, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq; 2Ministries of Environment, Radiation Protection
Center, Baghdad, Iraq.
Email: shafeq_sh@yahoo.com, qscgy_qs@yahoo.com
Received December 31st, 2013; revised January 27th, 2014; accepted February 21st, 2014
Copyright © 2014 Shafik Shakier Shafik et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution
License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
In accordance of the Creative Commons Attribution License all Copyrights © 2014 are reserved for SCIRP and the owner of the
intellectual property Shafik Shakier Shafik et al. All Copyright © 2014 are guarded by law and by SCIRP as a guardian.
ABSTRACT
In this work, the concentrations of natural Uranium and the annual effective dose (ET in Sv∙y−1) in drinking water for Nineveh Governorate in northern Iraq were determined using a pulsed-laser Kinetic Phosphorescence
Analyzer (KPA). Furthermore, the relationship between pH for water samples and the concentration of Uranium was studied. The drinking water samples are taken approximately from all regions of Nineveh as; 15 samples of tap water are taken from refinery stations, 13 samples of water samples are taken from wells that are
used for drinking, and 18 samples of drinking water are withdrawn from wells in Adayyah region (this region is
located near nuclear wastes site). Thus, the total studied samples are 46. The results of Uranium concentration
for all samples ranged from 2.61 ± 0.08 to 9.14 ± 0.012 µg∙L−1 with an overall average value about 5.87 ± 0.046
µg∙L−1, and the total annual effective dose ranged from 2.3 to 8.04 µSv∙y−1. The results also showed that the pH
number increases with increasing Uranium concentration and have, in general, high values in well water.
KEYWORDS
Uranium; KPA; Drinking Water; Intake; Annual Effective Dose; Nineveh
1. Introduction
There are many studies and researches [1-4], which focus
on measuring the concentration of Uranium in drinking
water in the province of Nineveh. However, these studies
used different techniques in the process of measuring the
concentration of Uranium in drinking water such as solid
state nuclear track detector (SSNTD). These techniques
differ in the accuracy of measurements, i.e. in the minimum detectable efficiency, so it became necessary to
measure the concentration of Uranium in drinking water
using modern technology with high ability to detect very
small concentrations such as KPA technique. KPA, the
main characteristic showed in Table 1 (which was used
in this work), is a technique that provides rapid, precise
and accurate determination of Uranium concentration in
aqueous solutions. KPA is a sensitive and selective anaOPEN ACCESS
lytical technique, with low detection limits (is about 0.01
µg∙L−1) [5].
On the other hand, water systems are required to undergo extensive monitoring for radioactive contamination
to ensure that their drinking water is safe and monitoring
of Uranium contents in different kinds of water must be
routinely done for surface, underground, mineral, drinking and well waters. The estimation of Uranium in water
may also be significant for the hydrogeochemical prospection for Uranium, for health risk assessments and also
for mitigation processes.
Accordingly, drinking water containing high levels of
Uranium can cause adverse health effects. Consequently
of non-biodegradable nature, the heavy metals including
Uranium accumulate in vital human organs and exert
progressively growing toxic actions [6]. Most notably,
long-term ingestion of Uranium and some other heavy
JEP
Determination Uranium Concentrations and Effective Dose of Drinking Water for Nineveh Governorate—Iraq,
Using Kinetic Phosphorescence Analyzer (KPA)
Table 1. The main characteristics of the KPA [13].
Parameter
Laser KPA
Selectivity
Tunable for U, Eu, Sm. Isotopes analysis
Laser source
Nitrogen laser with 337 nm wavelength
Pulse duration
3 ns
Repetition rate
20 pulses/s
Emission wavelength
515 nm for
Pulse power
120 J
Buffer
Uraplex
Sample volume
1 mL
−1
MDL
0.01 ng∙mL (0.13 mBq∙L−1)
Precision (RSD)
1% - 3% at U > 0.01 ng∙mL−1
7% - 10% at U < 0.01 ng∙mL−1
Analysis range
0.01 μg∙L−1 - 5 mg∙L−1
metals may increase the risk of kidney damage, cancer
and cardiovascular diseases [7,8], whereas the experimental evidence suggests that the respiratory and reproductive systems are also affected by Uranium exposure.
Public community water supplies must comply with the
maximum contaminated limits (MCL) for Uranium concentration recommended by various National and International Agencies like 15 µg∙L−1, 30 µg∙L−1 and 9 µg∙L−1
[9-12] etc.
Governorate of Nineveh depends on the Tigers River
to supply the public with drinking water. There are several refinery stations to refine the river water and to
supply it to consumers. In addition to the refinery stations, some public of Nineveh using well or/and mineral
water in drinking.
Nineveh is located in northern Iraq and Mosul city
represents capital of it. The geographic coordinates of
Mosul is between latitude 37˚1'45.51"N, longitude
42˚21'40.14"E and latitude 35˚25'12.78"N, longitude
42˚47'31.17"E, and the height above sea level ranges
from 202 to 364 m, while Adayyah locates 50 km to the
west of the Mosul city, and lies at latitude 36˚10'95.9"N
and longitude 42˚45'62.8"E. After the 2003 Gulf War,
destroyed equipment, concrete, rubble and miscellaneous
solid wastes were trucked to this village. These materials
were dumped into excavations in the soil and subsequently covered. Most of the equipment and rubble were
contaminated by Uranium compounds as yellowcake.
The aim of this work is to measure and determine the
concentrations and effective dose of Uranium in all varied drinking water used by publics living in Nineveh
governorate and in Adayyah village which think to have
contamination with Uranium because of the anarchy and
stolen processes in Al-Ramahi factory for phosphate
production in Adayyah village.
OPEN ACCESS
201
2. Sample Collection
Water samples were collected from mostly all regions of
Nineveh, which included water samples from residential
districts and from refinery stations where these stations
recited water from the Tigris River and then launched
into residential districts. The samples can be distributed
as: fifteen tap water samples taken from different parts of
Nineveh, thirteen water samples collected from wells
from different regions with different depths ranged from
15 to 25 m, and eighteen samples of well waters were
collected from the Adayyah with depths about 30 m.
3. Methodology
Uranium concentration measurements were performed
using the KPA-11; (Chemchek Instruments Inc., USA)
[14].
Uranium concentration (UC) in the sample is calculated using the following equation [15]:
=
UC Ut ( Wa + Fb )
(1)
where Ut is the total Uranium (the weight of the total
uranium), Wa is the aliquant weight in grams, and Fb is
the dilution factor in (gram sample/gram solution). The
KPA-11 is controlled by KPAWin software operating
under Windows for automatic calculation of Uranium
concentration [13].
Uranium standard solutions were prepared using Uranium Octoxide U3O8. Firstly a stock standard solution of
1000 mg∙L−1 (1000 ppm) was prepared by dissolving
117.9 mg of U3O8 in 100 mL of 0.82 M nitric acid
(HNO3) in volumetric flask. To construct the calibration
curve for kinetic phosphorescence analysis series of calibration standard were prepared to cover a wide range of
Uranium concentration which may be expected in drinking water samples. Uranium concentrations in the series
of standards were 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 and 10 µg∙L−1.
This set of standards was used to construct the calibration
curve. In addition, background measurements, as in calibration, were performed using nine calibration standard
solutions for each analytical range, ranging in concentration from the detection limit up to 10 µg∙L−1. A blank
sample of 0.82 M HNO3 was used to determine the
background and reagent UC. The blank’s phosphorescence intensity was subtracted from all KPA measurements.
4. Sample Preparation Procedure
4.1. Procedure for pH Measurements in Water
The pH of water was measured using the procedure of
the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
[16]. Place the water sample in a clean glass beaker proJEP
202
Determination Uranium Concentrations and Effective Dose of Drinking Water for Nineveh Governorate—Iraq,
Using Kinetic Phosphorescence Analyzer (KPA)
vided with a thermometer and a stirring bar. Then, pH
measured with stirring at a rate that will prevent splashing and avoid loss or gain of acidic or basic gases by
interchange with the atmosphere. Measure successive
portions of the water sample until readings on two successive portions differ by no more than 0.05 pH unit.
Two portions will usually be sufficient if the water is
well-buffered.
4.2. Procedure of Water Sample Preparation for
KPA-11
The sample preparation of drinking water was measured
using the procedure of the ASTM [16]:
1) Pipit 5 mL of sample into a glass vial previously
treated.
2) Add 1 mL of concentrated HNO3 and two or three
drops of 30% hydrogen peroxide.
3) Place the vial on a hot plate and heat to dryness.
Take care that spattering of the sample does not occur,
placing the vial in a 50 mL beaker makes it easier to
handle and not so apt to be knocked over.
4) Remove the vials from the hot plate and add 1 mL
of concentrated HNO3, two or three drops of 30% hydrogen peroxide, and heat to dryness. Repeat as necessary until only a white or translucent residue remains.
5) Add 1 mL of 4 M HNO3 and warm gently, if necessary, to dissolve the residue. Then add 4 mL of water.
Swirl to mix thoroughly.
6) Analyze the solution using KPA-11.
5. Results and Discussion
The KPA-11 detection limit (DL) for Uranium concentration was determined by analyzing the same standard
solution of 0.05 µg∙L−1 for ten different times. The standard deviation (S.D) of the background measurements
was then determined in terms of concentration. The calculation of DL at the 99% confidence level was found
using the formula: DL = 2.8 × S.D [17]. The obtained
value of SD was 0.0035 µg∙L−1 with detection limit about
0.01 µg∙L−1.
Uranium concentration, the annual effective dose, and
the pH results for all samples have been illustrated in
Tables 2 and 3. The range of Uranium concentration for
tap water samples is 2.61 ± 0.017 to 5.13 ± 0.032 µg∙L−1
with an overall average value of 3.73 ± 0.0201 µg∙L−1,
and is 3.28 ± 0.008 to 4.31 ± 0.008 µg∙L−1 for wells waters samples with an overall average value of 3.74 ±
0.0127 µg∙L−1. The pH of tap water samples was ranged
from 7.6 to 7.93 whereas for wells waters samples from
7.63 to 8.32. The overall results showed that the Uranium
concentration increases with increasing pH value, and the
Uranium concentration for wells waters samples have
OPEN ACCESS
values larger than tap water samples. This can be attributed to the refinery processes on tap water in refiner
stations which reduce the sands and plankton in waters.
The health and environmental protection agencies
have recommended safe limit of Uranium in drinking
water for human beings. United States EPA was recommended 30 µg∙L−1, WHO was recently recommended 15
µg∙L−1, UNSCEAR was recommended safe limit as 9
µg∙L−1 and ICRP was recommended the safe limit as 1.9
µg∙L−1 [9-12]. Therefore, one can note that the results of
uranium concentration compatible with safe values for all
agencies except for ICRP [14]. On the other hand, one
can easily note that the pH number for wells water samples larger than tap water samples and all samples larger
than the recommended limits (6.8 - 7.5).
In Adayyah village, the main and only source of
drinking waters is the wells. Table 4 showed all the results of the Adayyah wells waters. The range of Uranium
concentration for these samples is 3.43 ± 0.004 to 9.14 ±
0.012 µg∙L−1 with an overall average value of 5.815 ±
0.017 µg∙L−1. The pH was measured for samples and the
results showed that the range is 7.62 to 8.47. Again, one
can note that the pH values increasing with increases
Uranium concentration and the values is high comparing
with standard limits.
Daily intake was estimated from the amount of a substance in food or drinking water, expressed on a body
mass (usually mg/kg body weight), which can be ingested daily over a lifetime by humans without appreciable health risk.
The daily intake of water average over the whole population is given by the international standard consumption rate of 1.4 L∙d−1 [17] and ICRP consumption rate of
2 L∙d−1, so, for risk assessment a worst case value of 2
L∙d−1 [18].
Daily intake in the taps water varied from 5.22 ± 0.034
to 10.26 ± 0.064 μg∙d−1 with an overall average value
7.74 ± 0.049 μg∙d−1, in the wells water ranges from 7.22
± 0.042 to 8.62 ± 0.016 μg∙d−1 with an overall average
value 7.92 ± 0.029 μg∙d−1, and in Adayyah wells water
ranges from 6.86 ± 0.008 to 18.28 ± 0.024 μg∙d−1 with an
overall average value 12.57 ± 0.016 μg∙d−1.
Uranium which is found in water considered as natural
Uranium (Unat), knowing that the specific activity for
natural Uranium which is 25.4 Bq∙mg−1 and including 3
types of uranium isotopes (238U, 235U and 234U). The activity can be calculated for these isotopes by knowing the
specific activity and the mass fraction of them (illustrated
in Table 5) and using the equation:
(
)
A ( Bq L
=
) UC mg ⋅ L−1 × I.A.M ( % )
(
× S.P.A Bq ⋅ mg −1
)
(2)
where A is the specific activity (Bq∙L−1), I.A.M is the
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Determination Uranium Concentrations and Effective Dose of Drinking Water for Nineveh Governorate—Iraq,
Using Kinetic Phosphorescence Analyzer (KPA)
203
Table 2. UC, pH, daily uranium intake Id (μg∙d−1), Uranium natural activity (mBq∙L−1) and annual effective dose to the public ET (µSv∙y−1) in taps water of Nineveh.
Nineveh districts
UC (µg∙L−1) ± SD
using KPA
PH
Daily uranium intake Id
(μg∙d−1)
Activity for Unat mBq∙L−1
ET (µSv∙y−1) Unat
W1 (Bab altoob)
2.61 ± 0.017
7.6
5.22 ± 0.034
66.85
2.30
W2 (Arab district)
3.32 ± 0.021
7.75
6.64 ± 0.042
85.03
2.92
W3 (Tel Rumman)
3.81 ± 0.003
7.81
7.62 ± 0.006
97.59
3.35
W4 (New Mosul)
3.74 ± 0.010
7.79
7.48 ± 0.02
95.79
3.29
W5 (Najjar district)
3.62 ± 0.011
7.74
7.24 ± 0.022
92.72
3.18
W6 (The university district)
4.01 ± 0.009
7.83
8.02 ± 0.018
102.71
3.53
W7 (Nabi Yunis district)
3.92 ± 0.031
7.79
7.84 ± 0.062
100.407
3.45
W8 (Afar district)
3.71 ± 0.012
7.65
7.42 ± 0.024
95.02
3.26
W9 (Hatar district)
3.84 ± 0.061
7.9
7.68 ± 0.122
98.35
3.38
W10 (Mosul Dam)
5.13 ± 0.032
7.93
10.26 ± 0.064
131.401
4.51
W11 (Shaikhan)
3.62 ± 0.006
7.62
7.24 ± 0.012
92.72
3.18
W12 (Hamdania)
3.742 ± 0.031
7.76
7.484 ± 0.062
95.84
3.29
W13 (Qayyarah)
3.97 ± 0.019
7.81
7.94 ± 0.038
101.68
3.49
W14 (Alil bath)
3.51 ± 0.02
7.71
7.02 ± 0.04
89.90
3.09
W15 (Bartala)
3.41 ± 0.013
7.63
6.82 ± 0.026
87.34
3.00
Average
3.73 ± 0.0201
7.74 ± 0.049
95.5
3.28
Table 3. UC, pH, daily uranium intake Id (μg∙d−1), Uranium natural activity (mBq∙L−1) and annual effective dose (ET inµSv∙y−1)
to the public in wells water of Nineveh.
Nineveh districts
UC (µg∙L−1) ± SD using KPA
PH
Daily uranium intake Id
(μg∙d−1)
Activity for Unat
mBq∙L−1
ET (µSv∙y−1) Unat
Ww1 (South of Mosul)
3.61 ± 0.021
7.75
7.22 ± 0.042
97.59
3.35
Ww2 (South of Mosul)
3.73 ± 0.006
7.81
7.46 ± 0.012
95.54
3.28
Ww3 (Tel Rumman)
4.12 ± 0.013
8.12
8.24 ± 0.026
105.53
3.62
Ww4 (Tel Rumman)
3.84 ± 0.017
7.92
7.68 ± 0.034
98.35
3.38
Ww5 (Afar district)
3.75 ± 0.009
7.82
7.5 ± 0.018
96.05
3.30
Ww6 (Afar district)
4.05 ± 0.012
8.15
8.1 ± 0.024
103.73
3.56
Ww7 (Hatar district)
3.91 ± 0.041
8.14
7.82 ± 0.082
100.15
3.44
Ww8 (Hatar district)
4.31 ± 0.008
8.32
8.62 ± 0.016
110.39
3.79
Ww9 (New Mosul)
3.65 ± 0.002
7.63
7.3 ± 0.004
93.49
3.21
Ww10 (New Mosul)
3.28 ± 0.008
7.8
6.56 ± 0.016
92.46
3.17
Ww11 (Sinjar)
3.72 ± 0.009
7.91
7.44 ± 0.018
95.28
3.27
Ww12 (Sinjar)
3.65 ± 0.014
7.69
7.3 ± 0.028
93.49
3.21
Ww13 (Sinjar)
3.81 ± 0.005
7.82
7.62 ± 0.01
97.34
3.35
Average
3.74 ± 0.0127
7.92 ± 0.029
98.42
3.37
OPEN ACCESS
JEP
204
Determination Uranium Concentrations and Effective Dose of Drinking Water for Nineveh Governorate—Iraq,
Using Kinetic Phosphorescence Analyzer (KPA)
Table 4. UC, pH, daily uranium intake Id (μg/d), Uranium natural activity (mBq/L) and annual effective dose (ET in µSv∙y−1)
to the public in Adayyah wells water of Nineveh.
Adayyah districts UC (µg∙L−1) ± SD using KPA
PH
Daily Uranium intake Id (μg∙d−1)
Activity for Unat mBq∙L−1 ET (µSv∙y−1) Unat
wa1
4.42 ± 0.042
7.96
8.84 ± 0.084
113.21
3.89
wa2
7.62 ± 0.021
8.31
15.24 ± 0.042
195.18
6.70
wa3
5.52 ± 0.008
8.16
11.04 ± 0.016
141.39
4.85
wa4
3.97 ± 0.018
7.84
7.94 ± 0.036
101.68
3.49
wa5
7.701 ± 0.014
8.33
15.402 ± 0.028
197.25
6.77
wa6
5.92 ± 0.009
8.14
11.84 ± 0.018
151.63
5.21
wa7
5.71 ± 0.016
8.06
11.42 ± 0.032
146.25
5.02
wa8
4.15 ± 0.0013
7.83
8.3 ± 0.0026
106.29
3.65
wa9
3.43 ± 0.004
7.62
6.86 ± 0.008
87.85
3.02
wa10
5.65 ± 0.051
8.2
11.3 ± 0.102
144.72
4.97
wa11
5.61 ± 0.012
8.17
11.22 ± 0.024
143.69
4.93
wa12
7.21 ± 0.007
8.42
14.42 ± 0.014
184.67
6.34
wa13
4.7 ± 0.018
7.69
9.4 ± 0.036
120.38
4.13
wa14
8.61 ± 0.022
8.51
17.22 ± 0.044
220.53
7.57
wa15
4.35 ± 0.009
7.71
8.7 ± 0.018
111.42
3.83
wa16
9.14 ± 0.012
8.47
18.28 ± 0.024
234.11
8.04
wa17
4.05 ± 0.027
7.68
8.1 ± 0.054
103.73
3.56
wa18
6.94 ± 0.016
8.35
13.88 ± 0.032
177.76
6.10
Average
5.815 ± 0.017
12.57 ± 0.016
148.96
5.11
Table 5. Radioactive properties of natural uranium isotopes [19-22].
Isotope
238
Specific activity for Uranium (Bq∙mg−1)
Mass fraction (%)
Ingestion dose coefficients, e (g) (Sv∙Bq−1)
12.44
99.2745
4.50E−08
U
235
U
80
0.72
4.70E−08
234
U
230,700
0.0055
4.90E−08
25.4
-
-
Utotal
isotopic abundance (%) by mass fraction, and S.P.A is
the specific activity [19].
Table 2 shows that the specific activity of Unat in taps
water of Nineveh is in the range of 66.85 to 131.40
mBq∙L−1. Table 3 shows that the specific activity of Unat
in wells water of Nineveh is in the range of 92.46 to
110.39 mBq∙L−1. Table 4 shows that the specific activity
of Unat in Adayyah wells water of Nineveh are in the
range of 87.85 to 234.11 mBq∙L−1. The range of Unat in
all types’ water of Nineveh ranged from 66.85 to 234.11
mBq∙L−1.
6. Annual Effective Dose
The annual effective dose, ET (Sv∙y−1), to the public (after calculated the 238U, 235U and 234U, originated from
the ingestion of drinking water), can be given according
to [20]
OPEN ACCESS
(
)
(
)
(
1
E T Sv ⋅ y −=
e ( g ) Sv ⋅ Bq −1 × I U Bq ⋅ y −1
)
(3)
where e ( g ) is the dose coefficients (Sv∙Bq−1).
The annual intake of uranium (IU (Bq∙y−1)) isotopes
from drinking water for an adult consuming 2 L∙d−1 (IU238
(Bq∙y−1), IU235 (Bq∙y−1) and IU234 (Bq∙y−1)) is considered
by Equation (7).
(
)
(
)
IU Bq ⋅ y −1 = A Bq ⋅ L−1 × 365
(4)
× consumption rate of water =
2L ⋅ d −1
(
)
Table 2 showed the results of the ET of the water samples of Nineveh city which has the minimum and maximum values as 2.30 to 4.51 µSv∙y−1 with an overall average value of 3.28 µSv∙y−1 for tap water. Whereas Table 3
showed the results of the ET of the wells waters samples
of Nineveh which have the maximum and minimum values as 3.17 to 3.79 µSv∙y−1 with an overall average value
JEP
Determination Uranium Concentrations and Effective Dose of Drinking Water for Nineveh Governorate—Iraq,
Using Kinetic Phosphorescence Analyzer (KPA)
of 3.37 µSv∙y−1. In addition, ET was calculated for all
samples of wells waters of Adayyah village. The results
are showed in Table 4 and it demonstrated that range of
ET is 3.02 to 8.04 µSv∙y−1 with an overall average value
of 5.11 µSv∙y−1, respectively. Finally, and as in Uranium
concentration measurements, the results of ET illustrated
that the wells waters have values larger than tap water.
However, all ET results are within the internationally
permissible limits [22,23].
[4]
A. H. A. Al-Jubori, “Determination of Depleted Uranium
Concentration in the Remains of Military Equipments in a
Specified Location from the South of Iraq by Using
CR-39 & HPGe Detectors,” M.Sc. Thesis, College of
Science, University of Mosul, Mosul, 2003.
[5]
P. Decambox, P. Mauchien and C. Moulin, “Direct and
Fast Determination of Uranium in Human Urine Samples
by Laser-Induced Time-Resolved Spectrofluorometry,” Applied Spectroscopy, Vol. 45, No. 1, 1991, pp. 116-118.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1366/0003702914337768
[6]
Agency for Toxic Substances and Diseases Registry
(ASTDR), Atlanta, 1999.
[7]
M. Kumaresan and P. Riyazuddin, “Chemical Speciation
of Trace Metals,” Research Journal of Chemistry and
Environment, Vol. 3, No. 4, 1999, pp. 59-79.
[8]
UNSCEAR, “Sources and Effects of Ionizing Radiation,”
New York, 2000.
[9]
World Health Organization (WHO), “Guidelines for Drinking-Water Quality,” Addendum to Volume 2. Health Criteria and Other Supporting Information, WHO, Geneva,
1998b.
7. Conclusions
Uranium concentration in all types of waters used for
drinking in Nineveh governorate in Iraq is ranged from
2.61 ± 0.08 to 9.14 ± 0.012 µg∙L−1 with an overall average value about 5.87 ± 0.046 µg∙L−1. From these results,
one can note increasing Uranium concentration with increasing pH. The values of Uranium concentration in all
water samples are more than the recommended value of
ICRP (1.9 µg∙L−1) [10], but most of the values are comparable or less to the safe limit of WHO (15 µg∙L−1),
EPA (30 µg∙L−1), and for UNSCEAR recommended safe
limit (9 µg∙L−1) [9-12].
The results of the daily intake of uranium, Id (μg∙d−1),
for all water samples, which used for drinking in Nineveh, are ranged from 5.22 ± 0.034 to 18.28 ± 0.024
μg∙d−1.
The higher total annual effective doses for natural
Uranium were found in Adayyah well water, while the
total annual effective doses in taps water and water wells
of Nineveh are much closer to each other. Annual effective dose for natural uranium in all water samples varied
from 2.30 to 8.04 µSv∙y−1 with an overall total average
value of 5.17 µSv∙y−1. The estimated radiological impact
of 5.17 µSv∙y−1 is only a minor fraction of recommended
ICRP annual effective dose of 1 mSv∙y−1 and the global
average annual radiation dose of 2.4 mSv∙y−1 to man
from all natural radiation sources, and is comparable with
global average ingestion dose of 0.18 mSv∙y−1 due to
these radionuclides [23].
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