Measurement of natural radioactivity and radiation hazards in bricks produced in Babylon brick factories, Iraq

Due to the increasing cases of cancer in Babylon and the neighboring Governorates according to the annual reports of the Iraqi Cancer Registry, this study was conducted on thirteen brick factories south of Babylon Governorate, by using a NaI (Tl) gamma-ray detector (3″ × 3″). Brick samples (S) taken from surface soil production line (5–50 cm) and (D) taken from deep soil production line (50–300 cm) were collected from those factories. The average values of the activity concentrations of 238U, 232Th, and 40K for the brick samples obtained from the surface soil are (19.9 ± 1.5), (47 ± 2.8), and (365.8 ± 6.7) Bq/kg respectively, while the average values of the deep soil reached 18 ± 1.5, 41.7 ± 2.7, and 352.4 ± 6.61 respectively. Also, radiological hazards including Radium equivalent activity (Raeq), absorbed dose rate (DR), indoor and outdoor annual effective dose (AEDEindoor and AEDEoutdoor), and excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCRindoor) were calculated. The results of activity concentrations were within the permissible limits, except for the concentrations of 232Th, also there was a variation in the measurements between the brick production lines using surface and deep soil. The results of radiological hazards were within the limits allowed by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the effects of atomic radiation, except for the DR and ELCRindoor, for some samples, which pose a risk to users because high concentrations of 232Th in certain samples lead to elevated corresponding radiological indices, further research is needed to link these levels to cancer incidence conclusively. Therefore, it is recommended to adopt precautionary measures in factories with increased values to mitigate potential risks.