Monitoring of Environmental Radioactivity around the Tuwaitha Site

Abstract

An environmental radioactivity monitoring programme has been established around the Tuwaitha nuclear site, Baghdad, Iraq, to ensure the safety of the public living around the site and to prove that the nuclear facilities operate within the limits set by competent Iraqi Authorities and international environmental protection standards. Exposure rate measurements were carried out with portable monitors. Gamma spectrometric analysis of environmental samples (soil, vegetables, fruits, and water) was carried out to ensure that radionuclides expected to be released from the site are not concentrated in the environment. The results of the monitoring programme indicated that the average exposure rate was similar to that of the background radiation in Iraq. Furthermore, some environmental samples contained very low‐activity concentrations of Cs‐137.

Citation

Marouf, B.A., Al‐Haddad, I.K., Tomma, N.A., Mahmood, J.A. and Tawfiq, N.F. (1992), "Monitoring of Environmental Radioactivity around the Tuwaitha Site", Environmental Management and Health, Vol. 3 No. 3, pp. 14-17. https://doi.org/10.1108/09566169210013939