Assessment of primordial radionuclides, radon concentrations and radiological risk parameters in peat moss materials from the Kurdistan Region

Abstract Peat moss is widely used as an organic material, but its natural radioactivity and potential radon accumulation may vary according to its geological and environmental origin. This study provides a novel assessment of primordial radionuclides and radon concentrations in 16 peat moss samples collected from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq using gamma-ray spectrometry and a RAD7 detector. The range of specific activities varied from ND to 3.36 ± 0.13 Bq kg −1 with an average of 1.75 ± 0.13 Bq kg −1 for 226 Ra; from ND to 4.88 ± 0.51 Bq kg −1 with an average of 3.00 ± 0.30 Bq kg −1 for 232 Th and from 6.05 ± 6.99 to 496.55 ± 13.62 Bq kg −1 with an average of 172.73 ± 7.54 Bq kg −1 for 40 K. The radon concentrations was varied from a minimum value of 30.3 ± 1.65 Bq m −3 (PM1) to a maximum of 92.4 ± 1.45 Bq m −3 (PM15) with an average value of (59.51 ± 1.84 Bq m −3 ). All calculated radiological parameters, derived from primordial radionuclides and radon gas exposure, are well below the recommended values. Statistical analysis showed that there exists a strong positive correlation between 226 Ra and 232 Th ( r = 0.71) and a also a strong positive correlations between 226 Ra and 232 Th with 40 K, r = 0.47 and 0.5 respectively, suggesting a combination of one radionuclide with others, potentially indicating shared sources or mechanisms of accumulation within the peat moss samples. The 222 Rn exhibits a moderate positive correlation coefficient with both 226 Ra and 232 Th ( r = 0.25 and 0.32, respectively), whereas a negative correlation is noted with 40 K ( r = −0.28). The percentage of organic matter is negatively correlated with 232 Th and 226 Ra, with correlation coefficients of r = −0.32 and r = −0.23, respectively. Thus, there is no radiological risk to users of the peat moss material that is available in the Kurdistan region.