Study of the radiological doses and hazard indices in soil samples from Karbala city, Iraq

Abstract

The radiological doses and hazard indices of natural radionuclides $^{238}$U,$^{232}$Th and $^{40} $K in soil samples from Kerbala city were evaluated using gamma-ray spectroscopy system using NaI(Tl) ${"1.5\times 2"}$ detector in low-background with 24 hour. The average values of absorbed gamma-ray dose rate, annual effective dose equivalent and annual gonadal dose equivalent were found to be 90.83$\pm$2.00 nGy/h, 111.89$\pm$2.46 $\mu$Sv/y and 640.85$\pm$15.44 $\mu$Sv/y respectively. The average values of gamma representative level index and external hazard index resulting from natural radionuclides for all samples in the study area were 1.43$\pm$0.031 and 0.53$\pm$0.011 respectively. The obtained results in current work were compared with other results for different countries.