Uranium, Thorium, Potassium, and Cesium Radionuclides Concentrations in Desert Truffles from the Governorate of Samawah in Southern Iraq

Abstract

ABSTRACT Studies have been conducted in some southern Iraqi governorates to measure the radioactive contamination in the soil and have revealed that these areas are contaminated with radioactive materials. In these test sites, where many military operations have been conducted and that may have been affected by the Chernobyl accident, pollution and its impact on the truffle crop have been examined. Truffles are fungi that grow in the ground and can be contaminated by radiation from polluted soil. Uranium, thorium, potassium, and cesium activities were analyzed in truffles collected from the desert of Samawah governorate in the southern part of Iraq, and the results were compared with global values. The radionuclide activities were measured with a high-purity germanium detector. The average activities of 238U, 232Th, 40K, and 137Cs were 3.9500, 2.5300, 260.36, and 1.7800 Bq kg−1 dry biomass, respectively. These results indicate that radionuclide activities are low and that desert truffles are suitable for human consumption.