Health Risk Assessment of Radon Concentrations in Water Samples of Selected Areas North of Al-Najaf Governorates

Studies on radon concentrations and the risks they pose to people's health are widely available. Groundwater is one of the most common sources of Rn that the populace consumes directly. Rn gas, occurring naturally in rocks, soil, and water, poses a significant health risk for lung cancer, stomach illnesses, leukemia, and juvenile cancer. This study aimed to measure the content of Rn in groundwater sources and assess the health risk for children and adults in Najaf Governorate, Iraq. Ten samples of well water from various locations in the Najaf governorate have been collected to evaluate the radon concentration level using the RAD7 technology. The concentrations of Radon varied from a maximum of 2.42 Bq/L in the Al-Melad region to a minimum of 0.712 Bq/L in the Al-Naser region, with a mean of 1.6690.194 Bq/L. The estimated annual effective dose in ingestion (stomach) for children varied between 1.470 μSv/y and 4.997 μSv/y. The mean value was 3.447±0.4008 μSv/y, and the total annual effective dosage for adults varied from 1.819 μSv/y to 6.183 μSv/y with a mean of 4.265±0.4958 μSv/year. Each individual's estimated yearly effective dose inhalation (lungs) ranged from 9.959 μSv/year to 33.850 μSv/y for children and adults. With an average of (23.3508±2.7146) μSv/year, while in adults, the annual effective dose varied between 0.0017942 μSv/year and 0.0060984 μSv/year. The average value was 004206888±0.00048907 μSv/year. According to the findings, The Radon concentration in the groundwater specimens was below the global limit of 11.1 Bq/L. Additionally, the yearly effective dosage for the analyzed samples was below the internationally approved threshold of 1mSv/year.