Measurement of Natural Radioactivity Concentrations in Different Brands of Incense in Iraq

Document Type : Original Article

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The Iraqi National Nuclear and Radiological Commission, Baghdad, Iraq

Abstract

This study was carried out to evaluate the activity concentration of natural radioisotopes that exist in different incense (bakhour) samples collected randomly from the local markets in Baghdad, Iraq. Very few data have been published that focused on the concentrations of natural radionuclides in incense.  The analysis was done using a high-purity germanium detector. The results indicate the existence of a wide range of radioactivity contents among the different tested products as follows; 9.5 to 53.1 Bq.kg-1 for the 226Ra, 3.5 to 21.2 Bq.kg-1 for 232Th and 332 to 1717 Bq.kg-1 for 40K. The mean radioactivity concentrations for the nine samples were 26.5, 10.4, and 794 Bq.kg-1 for 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K respectively. Prediction of the annual intake of incense for a single consumer was difficult to achieve, therefore two scenarios were considered and the findings concluded that incense smoke is safe from a radiological exposure perspective for the presence of the investigated radionuclides.

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