Life Time Cancer Risk Evaluation Due to Inhalation of Radon Gas in Dwellings of Al-Diwaniyah Governorate, Iraq

Abstract

Radon is a radioactive natural gas that tends to concentrate in indoor homes and has major health consequences, the most serious of which is the ability to cause lung cancer. This research involves measuring indoor radon concentrations in different types of homes (non-smokers and smokers) in Al-Diwaniyah, Iraq, as well as assessing radon concentrations in cigarette samples acquired from Iraqi markets. nuclear track detectors were used to measure radiological parameters to determine annual effective dose levels and the associated cancer risk (CR-39). The average indoor radon concentrations, annual effective dose, and increased cancer risk attributable to the inhalation of indoor radon were 22.93 ± 3.67 Bq.m-3, 0.58 ± 0.08 mSv.y-1 and 2.2 ×10-3 ± 0.35 respectively, for non-smokers home. For smokers’ home, these parameters were 29.77 ± 5.24 Bq.m-3, 0.75 ± 0.12 mSv.y-1, and 2.89 ×10-3±0.50, respectively. The value of radon gas in cigarette samples ranged from 24.16 ± 2.55 to 33.91 ± 5.13 Bq.m-3. The obtained results have been compared with limits recommended by International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and found to be within allowed limits.