www.ijer.

orgInternationalJournalofEnvironmentandResource(IJER)Volume2Issue2,May2013

EffectsofFloorLevelsandVentilationRate
onIndoorRadonanditsProgenyinsideIraqi
KurdistanHospitals
ZakariyaA.Hussein1,MohamadS.Jaafar2,AsaadH.Ismail3
RadiationandMedicalPhysics,SchoolofPhysics,UniversitiSainsMalaysia,11800,PulauPenang,Malaysia
MedicalPhysics,PhysicsDepartment,EducationCollege,SalahaddinUniversityErbil,44002,KurdistanRegion,
RAQ
1zekishtayin@yahoo.com,2msj@usm.my,3asadhawlery@hotmail.com
1,2
3

Abstract

produce a series of short lived particulate daughter

products (218Po, 214Po, and 210Po). After inhalation, it
may cause significant damage to the delicate inner
cells of the bronchioles which may lead to the
occurrence of lung cancer (EPA. Consumers, 2010).
Deposition of the radons daughter on the lung and
tracheamakesariskofthecarcinoma.Becauseradons
progenyproducedbytheemissionofaheavyparticles
(alphaparticles),whichmakesamutatingoftheDNA.
And this refers to increase of the free radicals of the
lungandtracheatissue(IsmailandJaafar.Interaction,
2011).

Effects of floor levels (ground, first and second) and

ventilation rate on the density of indoor radon and its
progenyhavebeenevaluatedinsidemostofpublichospitals.
Ventilationrateisrepresentedbytheairmovingrate;poor,
fair,good,verygood.Locationsoftheselectedhospitalshad
different geological formation in three main governorates:
Erbil, Duhok and Sulaymaniya. Nuclear track detector type
CR39(CR39NTDs)hasbeenusedtomeasuretrackdensity
of alpha particles that emitted from radon and its progeny.
During spring season, 72 pair of exposure chambers (open
close chamber) equipped with 144 pieces of CR39NTDs
installed inside 24 rooms for three floors were employed.
After 90 day of exposure, exposed detectors were etched in
6N NaOH at 70C for 10 h. The highest and lowest radon
concentration were in the hospitals of Shaheed Aso
(Sulaymaniya city : 71.094.32 Bq.m3)(fair ventilation) and
Erbil Teaching ( Erbil city : 48.023.77Bq.m3) (good
ventilation).Thiswasdependedonthegeologicalformation,
typeofbuildingmaterial,andthefloorlevel.Therefore,the
results showed that the average radon concentration and
annual effective dose decreased gradually as the floor level
increased. The highest and lowest of annual effective dose
were found inground and second floor, respectively. Thus,
according to the annual exposure dose data, the workers
weresafetyinmostofthehospitals.Moredetailsaboutthe
typeofbuildingmaterialsofthehospitalshavebeenlistedin
fullpaper

Natural sources inherent to life on earth are

considered to be major source of human exposure to
ionizing radiation. Radon gas, gamma rays, cosmic
(natural sources) radiations, and internal radiations
constitute2.4mSv/yoftheabsorbedradiationdose.In
addition, artificial and other sources contribute to 2.8
mSv/y(ICRP.Nonstochastic,1984&Shankarnarayanan
K. Ionizing, 1998) of the absorbed radiation dose.
People may be exposed to external and internal
radiations by inhalation and ingestion due to
background radiations that exist in the environment.
Radon exposure occupies 50% of the average annual
dose contribution of population radiation exposure;
thus,mostoftherisksarefromtheinhalationofradon
gas(SomlaiJ.Radiation,2009).

Keywords
CR39NTDs;IndoorRadon;LungCancer

Themostsignificantcharacteristicoftheradon222gas
is the four shortlived progeny products from
polonium218 (218Po) to polonium214 (214Po), which,
shortly after their formation get attached themselves
toaerosolparticles.However,asmallfractionofthese
particlesremainsinanunattachedform,dependingon
themovementoftheairmass,whichinturndepends
on the installed ventilation systems (Ismail A H.
Indoor,2010).

Introduction
Exposure to radon in home is responsible for an
estimated20,000lungcancerdeathseachyear.Radon
is a health hazard with a simple solution. It is a
naturally occurring radioactive gas that originates
fromthedecayofuranium.Duetoitsrelativelylonger
halflifeof3.82days,themostconcernedradonisotope
is 222Rn(DurraniSA.Radon,1993)whichdecaysand

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InternationalJournalofEnvironmentandResource(IJER)Volume2Issue2,May2013www.ijer.org

Iraqi Kurdistan region (Fig.2), in each of which they

were distributed on three floors (ground, first and
second). Nuclear track detector type CR39 (CR
39NTDs) was used to measure track density of alpha
particles that emitted from radon and its progeny.
During spring season, 72 pair of exposure chambers
(openedclosed chamber) were equipped with 144
pieces of CR39NTDs installed inside 24 rooms for
threefloors;3roomsineachfloor,onthetopabout2
mabovethefloor.

According to the last research of the risks of radon

conducted by Ismail & Jaafar (Ismail A H.
Relationship, 2010), radon can be making of an
infertility to men. Therefore, in the present study,
beside of measure indoor radon concentration, the
most important related to the estimation of a risks of
inhalation of radon gas by the workers inside the
hospitals has been measured. Potential alpha energy
concentration, equilibrium factor between radon and
itsdaughter,aswellastheannualeffectivedosewere
considered important parametersin order to find
variation in radon concentration for three floors
ground,first,andsecond.
Material and Methods
Iraqi Kurdistan region consists of three main
governorates; Erbil, Duhok and Sulaymaniya which
aredifferentfromeachotherongeographicallocation
showninFig.1.Passiveradondosimetergeometry,a
closedopenedchamberintowhichradondiffuses,has
been calibrated by Ismail and Jaafar (Ismail A H.
Design,2011).

Spongemembrane

Hole
1cm

h=7cm

CR39

r=3cm

FIG.2SKETCHMAPOFTHEAREAUNDERSTDUY(KURDISTAN
REGION)

After 90 day of exposure, exposed detectors were

etchedin6NNaOHat70Cfor10h.Thecountingof
alpha damage tracks was done using an optical
microscopewithamagnificationof400Xused.
Measurements
of
Potential
Alpha
Energy
Concentration (PAEC) were necessary to estimate
effectivedosefrom222Rnprogenyanditsconcentration
inthepresentlocations.PAECbemeasureintermsof
workinglevel(WL)unit(KhanAJ.Calibration,1990).
WL=FCRn/3700(1)
Where F is the equilibrium factors, which can be
obtained from the following relation (AbMurad K.
Natural,2005).

FIG.1SCHEMATICDIAGRAMOFTHEOPTIMUMRADON.

TheschematicdiagramofthechamberisshowninFig.
2. The technique used in this survey is based on CR
39NTDs (Moulding, UK, manufactures the detectors),
withareaof1.51.5cm2whichisfixedbydoublestick
tapeatthebottomofthedosimeter.

F=aexp(bDo/D)(2)
DandDOrepresentsthetrackdensities(track/cm2.day)
of the open (D: without filter) and closed (Do: with a
filter)cantechniquerespectively.Thevaluesoftwo
constant a= 14.958 and b= 7.436 and CRn is the 222 Rn
concentrations (Bq/m3) which can be obtained by
relation

Inthecover,thereisaholecoveredwitha5mmthick
soft sponge. The design of the chamber ensures that
the aerosol particles and radon decay products are
depositedonthespongefromoutsideandonlyradon,
among other gases, diffusing through it to the
sensitivevolumeofthechamber.Thedosimetershave
been distributed inside 8 government hospitals in
threemainregions(Erbil,DuhokandSulaymaniya)in

CRn=Do/K(3)
Where,Kisthedetectorsensitivity(K=0.23track.cm2
perBq.m3)obtainedfromthecalibrationexperimentin

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www.ijer.orgInternationalJournalofEnvironmentandResource(IJER)Volume2Issue2,May2013

the works of Ismail and Jaafar (Ismail A H. Design,

2011).

H=CFOTD..(4)
Where C is the radon concentration in Bq.m3, F
equilibrium factor, O for occupancy factor (0.8)
(UNSCEAR.Sources,(2000).,Tfortime(8760h.y1)and
Dfordoseconversionfactor(9x106mSv.h1(Bq.m3)1).

Theeffectivedose(HinunitsmSv/y)ofradonandits
progeny, can be calculate from the following relation
(UNSCEAR.Sources,(2000).

TABLE1RADONCONCENTRATION,EQUILIBRIUMFACTOR,PAECANDANNUALEFFECTIVEDOSEINSIDE
HOSPITALSOFIRAQIKURDISTANREGION.

Regions

Erbil

Duhok

Sulaymaniya

Equilibrium
Factor(F)

Hospital

PAEC
(mwL)

Annualeffective
dose(mSv/y)

Radon
Concentration
(Bq.m3)

Rizgary

0.3070.079

4.410.93

1.190.13

54.046.08

Emergencywest

0.3110.077

4.340.83

1.160.07

52.34.39

ErbilTeaching

0.3600.01

4.660.36

1.10.08

48.023.77

Paediatric

0.3640.001

5.930.61

1.380.14

60.386.34

AzadiTeaching

0.370.003

6.530.52

1.520.13

65.365.07

EmergencyTeaching

0.3620.009

5.770.55

1.340.12

59.054.49

ShahidAso

0.3680.005

7.060.32

1.640.07

71.094.32

ShorshGeneral

0.3640.002

6.650.42

1.540.09

67.564.05

TABLE2GEOLOGICALFORMATIONOFIRAQIKURDISTANREGIONASRELALITEDSTUDY
Governorate

Hospitals

Geologicalformation

Rizgary
Erbil

Regionconsistsoftheplainsandhills.Itconsistsofsandstone,
limestoneandshale

Emergencywest
ErbilTeaching
Maternityandteaching
AzadiTeaching

Duhok

Regionconsistsoftheplains,sedimentlogicalandmountains.Itconsists
ofmarlylimestone,calcareniteshale,sandlylimestoneand
conglomerate

EmergencyTeaching

ShahidDr.Aso

Sulaymaniya

RegionconsistsoftheRockyMountainsandvalleys.Itconsistsofrocks,
limestone,conglomerate,biogeniclimestone,pebbly,calcareniteand
sandstone

ShorshGeneral

TABLE3INDOORRADONCONCENTRATIONANDANNUALEFFECTIVEDOSEFORDIFFERENT
FLOORSININSIDEHOSPITALSINIRAQIKURDISTANREGION.

RadonConcentration(Bq.m3)
Hospitals
Rizgary
(Erbil)

Azadi
Teaching
(Duhok)

ShahidAso
(Sulaymany)

46

Min

Max

Min

Max

Ground

56.990.22

61.580.62

59.342.23

1.280.016

1.320.032

1.30.098

First

53.290.14

Second

44.550.44

57.390.34

55.392.05

1.120.022

1.260.024

1.240.068

49.650.82

47.42.61

1.010.028

1.080.018

1.040.086

Ground

67.160.34

73.640.44

70.222.98

1.560.022

1.680.032

1.650.092

First

63.890.52

68.160.62

65.792.64

1.460.042

1.540.012

1.510.064

Levels

Average

Annualeffectivedose(mSv/y)
Average

Second

57.720.58

62.280.84

60.092.24

1.360.042

1.440.028

140.078

Ground

72.340.45

79.010.64

75.532.86

1.660.023

1.740.42

1.720.092

First

68.330.26

73.720.48

70.822.64

1.590.042

1.650.032

1.640.068

Second

64.440.12

69.760.56

66.942.28

1.540.012

1.580.018

1.570.082

InternationalJournalofEnvironmentandResource(IJER)Volume2Issue2,May2013www.ijer.org

Results and Discussion

Ontheotherhand,Fig.4showsacombinationrelation
of annual effective dose and indoor radon
concentrationinsideeightgovernmenthospitals.

The first part of this study involved measurement of

indoorradonconcentration(CRn),(PAEC),equilibrium
factor (F) and annual effective dose (H) inside 8
government hospitals in Iraqi Kurdistan. Table 1
showsthattheequilibriumfactor(F)foreachhospital
is different than that for other hospitals, because the
ventilation rates are different. Similarly, average of
indoor radon concentration andannual effective dose
for the hospitals of each governorate are different
compared to that of other governorates. This is
because the geological formation of Erbil governorate
differentfromthegeologicalformationofDuhokand
Sulaymaniya.Moredetailsaboutgeologicalformation
arelistedinTable2(KamalH.K,2004).

The second part of this study was to find an impact

floor level of the hospitals on the concentration of
indoor radon for each floor. Indoor radon
concentration and annual effective dose for the floors
of ground, first and second have been estimated, and
thedataarelistedinTable3.Thehighestindoorradon
concentrationandannualeffectivedosewerefoundin
ground floor as well as lower indoor radon
concentration and annual effective dose in second
floor,asshowninFig.5.

FIG.5VARIATIONOFRADONCONCENTRATIONWITH

FLOORLEVELSINSHAHIDDr.ASOHOSPITAL

Itisclearthattheaverageindoorradonconcentration
decreasesasthefloorlevelincreasesandthisvariation
maybeattributedtohowcloseorhowfartheflooris
from ground since soil represents the main source of
indoor radon in addition to many other reasons such
asthefactthatupperfloorsarebetterventilatedthan
lower floors exposed to dust and other forms of
contaminations

Fig. 3 shows the distribution of radon concentration

inside 8 government hospitals in Iraqi Kurdistan
region, in which the highest indoor radon
concentration was found in Shahid Aso hospital in
Sulaymaniya city (71.094.32 Bq.m3), and the lowest
indoor radon concentration was found in Erbil
Teaching hospitals in Erbil city (48.023.77 Bq.m3),
because these areas are different from each other by
theirgeographicallocationandgeologicalformation.

FIG.3DISTRIBUTIONOFRADONCONCENTRATIONINSIDE
GOVERNMENTHOSPITALSINIRAQIKURDISTAN

Conclusion
Floor levels and geological formation of the Iraqi
Kurdistanhospitalshadaffectontheconcentrationsof
indoorradonanditsprogenyLocationsoftheselected
hospitals had different geological formation in three
main governorates: Erbil, Duhok and Sulaymaniya.
Nuclear track detector type CR39 has been used to
measure track density of alpha particles that emitted
fromradonanditsprogenyduringspringseason.The
present study consisted of two main parts; the first
was the effect of the geological formation on indoor
radonconcentration,whichhasbeeninvestigated.The
highest and lowest radon concentration were in the
hospitalsofShaheedAso(Sulaymaniyacity:mountain

FIG.4DISTRIBUTIONOFANNUALEFFECTIVEDOSE
INSIDEHOPITALSOFIRAQIKURDISTAN

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www.ijer.orgInternationalJournalofEnvironmentandResource(IJER)Volume2Issue2,May2013

region) and Erbil Teaching (Erbil city). The second

part was related to the effects of floor level on the
concentration of indoor radon. Therefore, the results
showed that the average radon concentration and
annualeffectivedosedecreasedgraduallyasthefloor
level increased. The highest and lowest of annual
effectivedosewerefoundingroundandsecondfloor,
respectively.

Ismail A H and Jaafar M S. Design and construct optimum

dosimeter to detect airborne radon and thoron gas:
Experimental study. Nuclear Instruments and Methods
inPhysicsResearchB.269(4)p.437439,2011.
Ismail A H and Jaafar M S. Interaction of lowintensity
nuclearradiationdosewiththehumanblood:Usingthe
new technique of CR39NTDs for an in vitro study.
AppliedRadiationandIsotopes.69(3)p.559566,2011.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

IsmailAHandJaafarMS..Indoorradonconcentrationand
its health risks in selected locations in Iraqi Kurdistan

Theauthorsdeeplythankallthestaffsandpatientsin
selected hospitals in Iraqi Kurdistan for their
informationandagoodcooperation.

using CR39 NTD. The 4th International conference on

Bioinformations and Biomedical Engineering (iCBBE
2010).1820June.ChengduChaina.2010IEEE.

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