Measurement of radon concentrations in vegetable and soil, and evaluation of lifetime cancer risk using a CR-39 detector

Exposure to radon contributes to more than 50 % of the total radiation dose received from natural sources by human beings; therefore, radon measurements are crucial in monitoring human health and safety. It can migrate from the soil into plants, further contributing to human exposure through the consumption of contaminated vegetables. The present study aims to determine the concentration of radon in 18 different types of vegetable collected from Bazyan location in Kurdistan Iraqi region which are frequently consumed because most of the population in Kurdistan depend on those vegetable foods. In methodology, CR-39 detector and PVC tube were used to record the tracks of alpha particles released from the radon content within the vegetable samples. The results showed that the concentration levels of radon in vegetable samples ranged from the highest value 310.963 Bq m^-3 in the green peppers sample to lowest value 9.830 Bq m^-3 in the wild rocket sample, with an average concentration in the samples of 161.965 Bq m^-3. Therefore, the concentrations of radon in vegetable samples were lower than the global permissibility limit of exposure to radon according to the International Commission on Radiological Protection and the International Atomic Energy Agency (200-800 Bq m^-3). Results were also found to be lower than the 400 Bq m^-3 according to ICRP in foods; therefore, this will not form any risk on human life.