Research Article
BibTex RIS Cite

Radon gas in indoor air of primary schools of Al-Najaf city, Iraq

Year 2023, Volume: 10 Issue: 4, 1045 - 1054, 11.11.2023
https://doi.org/10.18596/jotcsa.1193534

Abstract

The indoor radon concentration of 100 primary schools in Al-Najaf province, Iraq, was measured to determine students’ and staff's safety in these schools using a CR-39 nuclear track detector based on the sealed can improve technique. The results of indoor radon concentration for all schools vary from (7.47 to 44.84) Bq / m3 with an arithmetic mean (AM) of 22.26 Bq /, while the geometric mean (GM) was 20.67 Bq / m3. The concentration of 222Rn was lower than the worldwide level. Some radiological parameters like annual effective dose (AED), potential alpha energy (PAEC), exposure to radon progeny (EP), and lung cancer cases per year per million people (CPPP) were also determined. The results of these parameters point toward normal levels in the primary schools, according to ICRP, UNCER, and NCRP data.

References

  • [1] A. F. Maged, "Radon concentrations in elementary schools in Kuwait," Health physics, vol. 90, pp. 258-262, 2006.
  • [2] A. Hussein, "Radon in the environment: friend or foe?," 2008.
  • [3] F. Khan, N. Ali, E. U. Khan, N. U. Khattak, I. A. Raja, M. A. Baloch, et al., "Study of indoor radon concentrations and associated health risks in the five districts of Hazara division, Pakistan," Journal of Environmental Monitoring, vol. 14, pp. 3015-3023, 2012.
  • [4] A. Clouvas, S. Xanthos, and G. Takoudis, "In door Ra don Lev els in Greek Schools," Jour nal of En vi ron men tal Ra dio ac tiv ity, vol. 102, 2011.
  • [5] A. H. Ismail and M. S. Jaafar, "Indoor radon concentration and its health risks in selected locations in Iraqi Kurdistan using CR-39 NTDs," in 2010 4th International Conference on Bioinformatics and Biomedical Engineering, 2010, pp. 1-8.
  • [6] K. Gordon, P. D. Terry, X. Liu, T. Harris, D. Vowell, B. Yard, et al., "Radon in schools: a brief review of state laws and regulations in the United States," International journal of environmental research and public health, vol. 15, p. 2149, 2018.
  • [7] R. Obed, A. Ademola, M. Vascotto, and G. Giannini, "Radon measurements by nuclear track detectors in secondary schools in Oke-Ogun region, Nigeria," Journal of environmental radioactivity, vol. 102, pp. 1012-1017, 2011.
  • [8] L. Al-Awadi and A. Khan, "Indoor radon levels in schools and residential dwellings in Kuwait," International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, vol. 16, pp. 2627-2636, 2019.
  • [9] A. Malanca, L. Gaidolfi, and R. Fava, "Natural radioactivity in kindergartens and play schools of Parma, Italy," Environment international, vol. 23, pp. 541-546, 1997.
  • [10] A. Kurt, L. S. Yalcin, Y. Oktem, B. Akkus, E. Bozkurt, N. Hafizoglu, et al., "Determination of indoor radon concentrations at the elementary schools of Fatih district in Istanbul," in AIP conference proceedings, 2016, p. 030008.
  • [11] H. Papaefthymiou and C. Georgiou, "Indoor radon levels in primary schools of Patras, Greece," Radiation protection dosimetry, vol. 124, pp. 172-176, 2007.
  • [12] A. A. Abojassim, "Comparative study between active and passive techniques for measuring radon concentrations in groundwater of Al-Najaf city, Iraq," Groundwater for Sustainable Development, vol. 11, p. 100476, 2020.
  • [13] B. Tate and S. Long, "Acceptance testing of the tasl radon dosimetry system," Technical Report, p. 175, 2016.
  • [14] M. Al-Gharabi and A. Al-Hamzawi, "Measurement of radon concentrations and surface exhalation rates using CR-39 detector in soil samples of Al-Diwaniyah Governorate, Iraq," Iranian Journal of Medical Physics, vol. 17, pp. 220-224, 2020.
  • [15] A. K. Hashim, "A study of radon concentration in the soil and air of some villages in Irbid governorate," M. Sc. Thesis, Yarmouk University, Jordan, 2003.
  • [16] Y. Mayya, K. Eappen, and K. Nambi, "Methodology for mixed field inhalation dosimetry in monazite areas using a twin-cup dosemeter with three track detectors," Radiation protection dosimetry, vol. 77, pp. 177-184, 1998.
  • [17] U. N. S. C. o. t. E. o. A. Radiation, "Epidemiological evaluation of radiation-induced cancer," 2000.
  • [18] A. A. Mowlavi, M. R. Fornasier, A. Binesh, and M. d. Denaro, "Indoor radon measurement and effective dose assessment of 150 apartments in Mashhad, Iran," Environmental monitoring and assessment, vol. 184, pp. 1085-1088, 2012.
  • [19] S. Kansal, R. Mehra, and N. Singh, "Life time fatality risk assessment due to variation of indoor radon concentration in dwellings in western Haryana, India," Applied Radiation and Isotopes, vol. 70, pp. 1110-1112, 2012.
  • [20] A. Ismail, "H. and Hussyin Z., A., Study of seasonal variations of radon levels and its risks inside different schools in Iraqi Kurdistan region for the first time," in Proceeding of the 10th International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology" KOS island, Greece, pp. 5-7.
  • [21] A. H. Ismail and M. S. Jaafar, "Indoor radon concentration and its health risks in selected locations in Iraqi Kurdistan using CR-39 NTDs," in Bioinformatics and Biomedical Engineering (iCBBE), 2010 4th International Conference on, 2010, pp. 1-8.
  • [22] I. C. o. R. Protection, Protection against radon-222 at home and at work: International Commission on Radiological Protection, 1994.
  • [23] H. Mansour, S. per Khdar, H. Abdulla, N. Muhamad, M. Othman, and S. Qader, "Measurement of indoor radon levels in Erbil capital by using solid state nuclear track detectors," Radiation measurements, vol. 40, pp. 544-547, 2005.
  • [24] A. A. Abdullah, "Internal and external radiation exposure evaluation amongst selected workers and locations in Iraq," Universiti Sains Malaysia, 2013.
  • [25] W. H. Organization, WHO handbook on indoor radon: a public health perspective: World Health Organization, 2009.
  • [26] H. Smith, "Protection against radon-222 at home and at work," ICRP Publication, vol. 65, 1993.
  • [27] U. N. S. C. o. t. E. o. A. Radiation, Sources and effects of ionizing radiation, united nations scientific committee on the effects of atomic radiation (UNSCEAR) 1993 report: report to the general assembly, with scientific annexes: United Nations, 1993.
  • [28] N. C. O. RADIATION and P. A. MEASLIREMENTS, "Exposure Of The U.S. PopuLation From Diagnostic Medical Radiation Ncrp Report No. 100," 1989.
  • [29] D. Vuchkov, K. Ivanova, Z. Stojanovska, B. Kunovska, and V. Badulin, "Radon measurement in schools and kindergartens (Kremikovtsi municipality, Bulgaria," Romanian Journal of Physics, vol. 58, pp. S328-S335, 2013.
  • [30] A. Clouvas, S. Xanthos, and G. Takoudis, "Indoor radon levels in Greek schools," Journal of environmental radioactivity, vol. 102, pp. 881-885, 2011.
  • [31] Z. Stojanovska, B. Boev, Z. S. Zunic, P. Bossew, and S. Jovevska, "Results of radon CR-39 detectors exposed in schools due two different long-term periods," Nukleonika, vol. 61, pp. 385-389, 2016.
  • [32] H. Bem, E. M. Bem, J. Krawczyk, M. Płotek, S. Janiak, and D. Mazurek, "Radon concentrations in kindergartens and schools in two cities: Kalisz and Ostrów Wielkopolski in Poland," Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, vol. 295, pp. 2229-2232, 2013.
  • [33] A.-E. A. Elzain, "Assessment of indoor radon doses received by the students and staff in schools in some towns in Sudan," Rn, vol. 19, p. 35, 2015.
  • [34] F. Bochicchio, Z. S. Žunić, C. Carpentieri, S. Antignani, G. Venoso, V. Carelli, et al., "Radon in indoor air of primary schools: a systematic survey to evaluate factors affecting radon concentration levels and their variability," Indoor air, vol. 24, pp. 315-326, 2014.
  • [35] S. Labidi, D. Al-Azmi, H. Mahjoubi, and R. B. Salah, "Radon in elementary schools in Tunisia," Radioprotection, vol. 45, pp. 209-217, 2010.
  • [36] H. Al Zabadi, K. Mallah, and G. Saffarini, "Indoor exposure assessment of radon in the elementary schools, Palestine," 2015.
  • [37] F. Loffredo, I. Opoku-Ntim, G. Meo, and M. Quarto, "Indoor Radon Monitoring in Kindergarten and Primary Schools in South Italy," Atmosphere, vol. 13, p. 478, 2022.
  • [38] A. K. Hashim and S. S. Nayif, "Assessment of Internal Exposure to Radon in Schools in Karbala, Iraq," J. Rad. Nucl. Appl., vol. 4, pp. 25-34, 2019.
  • [39] N. Damla and K. Aldemir, "Radon survey and soil gamma doses in primary schools of Batman, Turkey," Isotopes in environmental and health studies, vol. 50, pp. 226-234, 2014.
Year 2023, Volume: 10 Issue: 4, 1045 - 1054, 11.11.2023
https://doi.org/10.18596/jotcsa.1193534

Abstract

References

  • [1] A. F. Maged, "Radon concentrations in elementary schools in Kuwait," Health physics, vol. 90, pp. 258-262, 2006.
  • [2] A. Hussein, "Radon in the environment: friend or foe?," 2008.
  • [3] F. Khan, N. Ali, E. U. Khan, N. U. Khattak, I. A. Raja, M. A. Baloch, et al., "Study of indoor radon concentrations and associated health risks in the five districts of Hazara division, Pakistan," Journal of Environmental Monitoring, vol. 14, pp. 3015-3023, 2012.
  • [4] A. Clouvas, S. Xanthos, and G. Takoudis, "In door Ra don Lev els in Greek Schools," Jour nal of En vi ron men tal Ra dio ac tiv ity, vol. 102, 2011.
  • [5] A. H. Ismail and M. S. Jaafar, "Indoor radon concentration and its health risks in selected locations in Iraqi Kurdistan using CR-39 NTDs," in 2010 4th International Conference on Bioinformatics and Biomedical Engineering, 2010, pp. 1-8.
  • [6] K. Gordon, P. D. Terry, X. Liu, T. Harris, D. Vowell, B. Yard, et al., "Radon in schools: a brief review of state laws and regulations in the United States," International journal of environmental research and public health, vol. 15, p. 2149, 2018.
  • [7] R. Obed, A. Ademola, M. Vascotto, and G. Giannini, "Radon measurements by nuclear track detectors in secondary schools in Oke-Ogun region, Nigeria," Journal of environmental radioactivity, vol. 102, pp. 1012-1017, 2011.
  • [8] L. Al-Awadi and A. Khan, "Indoor radon levels in schools and residential dwellings in Kuwait," International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, vol. 16, pp. 2627-2636, 2019.
  • [9] A. Malanca, L. Gaidolfi, and R. Fava, "Natural radioactivity in kindergartens and play schools of Parma, Italy," Environment international, vol. 23, pp. 541-546, 1997.
  • [10] A. Kurt, L. S. Yalcin, Y. Oktem, B. Akkus, E. Bozkurt, N. Hafizoglu, et al., "Determination of indoor radon concentrations at the elementary schools of Fatih district in Istanbul," in AIP conference proceedings, 2016, p. 030008.
  • [11] H. Papaefthymiou and C. Georgiou, "Indoor radon levels in primary schools of Patras, Greece," Radiation protection dosimetry, vol. 124, pp. 172-176, 2007.
  • [12] A. A. Abojassim, "Comparative study between active and passive techniques for measuring radon concentrations in groundwater of Al-Najaf city, Iraq," Groundwater for Sustainable Development, vol. 11, p. 100476, 2020.
  • [13] B. Tate and S. Long, "Acceptance testing of the tasl radon dosimetry system," Technical Report, p. 175, 2016.
  • [14] M. Al-Gharabi and A. Al-Hamzawi, "Measurement of radon concentrations and surface exhalation rates using CR-39 detector in soil samples of Al-Diwaniyah Governorate, Iraq," Iranian Journal of Medical Physics, vol. 17, pp. 220-224, 2020.
  • [15] A. K. Hashim, "A study of radon concentration in the soil and air of some villages in Irbid governorate," M. Sc. Thesis, Yarmouk University, Jordan, 2003.
  • [16] Y. Mayya, K. Eappen, and K. Nambi, "Methodology for mixed field inhalation dosimetry in monazite areas using a twin-cup dosemeter with three track detectors," Radiation protection dosimetry, vol. 77, pp. 177-184, 1998.
  • [17] U. N. S. C. o. t. E. o. A. Radiation, "Epidemiological evaluation of radiation-induced cancer," 2000.
  • [18] A. A. Mowlavi, M. R. Fornasier, A. Binesh, and M. d. Denaro, "Indoor radon measurement and effective dose assessment of 150 apartments in Mashhad, Iran," Environmental monitoring and assessment, vol. 184, pp. 1085-1088, 2012.
  • [19] S. Kansal, R. Mehra, and N. Singh, "Life time fatality risk assessment due to variation of indoor radon concentration in dwellings in western Haryana, India," Applied Radiation and Isotopes, vol. 70, pp. 1110-1112, 2012.
  • [20] A. Ismail, "H. and Hussyin Z., A., Study of seasonal variations of radon levels and its risks inside different schools in Iraqi Kurdistan region for the first time," in Proceeding of the 10th International Conference on Environmental Science and Technology" KOS island, Greece, pp. 5-7.
  • [21] A. H. Ismail and M. S. Jaafar, "Indoor radon concentration and its health risks in selected locations in Iraqi Kurdistan using CR-39 NTDs," in Bioinformatics and Biomedical Engineering (iCBBE), 2010 4th International Conference on, 2010, pp. 1-8.
  • [22] I. C. o. R. Protection, Protection against radon-222 at home and at work: International Commission on Radiological Protection, 1994.
  • [23] H. Mansour, S. per Khdar, H. Abdulla, N. Muhamad, M. Othman, and S. Qader, "Measurement of indoor radon levels in Erbil capital by using solid state nuclear track detectors," Radiation measurements, vol. 40, pp. 544-547, 2005.
  • [24] A. A. Abdullah, "Internal and external radiation exposure evaluation amongst selected workers and locations in Iraq," Universiti Sains Malaysia, 2013.
  • [25] W. H. Organization, WHO handbook on indoor radon: a public health perspective: World Health Organization, 2009.
  • [26] H. Smith, "Protection against radon-222 at home and at work," ICRP Publication, vol. 65, 1993.
  • [27] U. N. S. C. o. t. E. o. A. Radiation, Sources and effects of ionizing radiation, united nations scientific committee on the effects of atomic radiation (UNSCEAR) 1993 report: report to the general assembly, with scientific annexes: United Nations, 1993.
  • [28] N. C. O. RADIATION and P. A. MEASLIREMENTS, "Exposure Of The U.S. PopuLation From Diagnostic Medical Radiation Ncrp Report No. 100," 1989.
  • [29] D. Vuchkov, K. Ivanova, Z. Stojanovska, B. Kunovska, and V. Badulin, "Radon measurement in schools and kindergartens (Kremikovtsi municipality, Bulgaria," Romanian Journal of Physics, vol. 58, pp. S328-S335, 2013.
  • [30] A. Clouvas, S. Xanthos, and G. Takoudis, "Indoor radon levels in Greek schools," Journal of environmental radioactivity, vol. 102, pp. 881-885, 2011.
  • [31] Z. Stojanovska, B. Boev, Z. S. Zunic, P. Bossew, and S. Jovevska, "Results of radon CR-39 detectors exposed in schools due two different long-term periods," Nukleonika, vol. 61, pp. 385-389, 2016.
  • [32] H. Bem, E. M. Bem, J. Krawczyk, M. Płotek, S. Janiak, and D. Mazurek, "Radon concentrations in kindergartens and schools in two cities: Kalisz and Ostrów Wielkopolski in Poland," Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, vol. 295, pp. 2229-2232, 2013.
  • [33] A.-E. A. Elzain, "Assessment of indoor radon doses received by the students and staff in schools in some towns in Sudan," Rn, vol. 19, p. 35, 2015.
  • [34] F. Bochicchio, Z. S. Žunić, C. Carpentieri, S. Antignani, G. Venoso, V. Carelli, et al., "Radon in indoor air of primary schools: a systematic survey to evaluate factors affecting radon concentration levels and their variability," Indoor air, vol. 24, pp. 315-326, 2014.
  • [35] S. Labidi, D. Al-Azmi, H. Mahjoubi, and R. B. Salah, "Radon in elementary schools in Tunisia," Radioprotection, vol. 45, pp. 209-217, 2010.
  • [36] H. Al Zabadi, K. Mallah, and G. Saffarini, "Indoor exposure assessment of radon in the elementary schools, Palestine," 2015.
  • [37] F. Loffredo, I. Opoku-Ntim, G. Meo, and M. Quarto, "Indoor Radon Monitoring in Kindergarten and Primary Schools in South Italy," Atmosphere, vol. 13, p. 478, 2022.
  • [38] A. K. Hashim and S. S. Nayif, "Assessment of Internal Exposure to Radon in Schools in Karbala, Iraq," J. Rad. Nucl. Appl., vol. 4, pp. 25-34, 2019.
  • [39] N. Damla and K. Aldemir, "Radon survey and soil gamma doses in primary schools of Batman, Turkey," Isotopes in environmental and health studies, vol. 50, pp. 226-234, 2014.
There are 39 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Inorganic Chemistry
Journal Section RESEARCH ARTICLES
Authors

Rukia Jabar Dosh This is me

Ali K Hasan This is me

Ali Abojassim 0000-0001-5950-5220

Publication Date November 11, 2023
Submission Date October 23, 2022
Acceptance Date August 21, 2023
Published in Issue Year 2023 Volume: 10 Issue: 4

Cite

Vancouver Dosh RJ, Hasan AK, Abojassim A. Radon gas in indoor air of primary schools of Al-Najaf city, Iraq. JOTCSA. 2023;10(4):1045-54.