TY - JOUR ID - 8933 TI - Determination of Radionuclide Concentration in Human Teeth in Najaf Governorate, Iraq JO - Iranian Journal of Medical Physics JA - IJMP LA - en SN - AU - Almayahi, Basim A AD - Department of Environment, Faculty of Science, University of Kufa, 54003 kufa, Najaf Governorate, Iraq Y1 - 2017 PY - 2017 VL - 14 IS - 4 SP - 173 EP - 182 KW - Biomarkers KW - Radioisotopes KW - Teeth DO - 10.22038/ijmp.2017.22715.1219 N2 - Introduction: 238U decays with alpha particles emission into 234Th and the series ends with 206Pb. The unstable nucleus loses the energy with emitting ionizing alpha particles for reaching a stable state. It is undergoing alpha decay with decay energy (4.679 MeV). Alpha particles enter the human and animal bodies through inhalation of air or ingestion of contaminated food and water. This study aimed to perform a radiological analysis on the natural alpha particle emission rates of the human teeth as the biomarkers of radiation exposure and environmental pollution. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on 68 teeth samples of 27 males and 41 females collected from the hospitals distributed across Najaf governorate, including many districts in Iraq. Alpha particle emission rates were measured using CR-39 nuclear track detector. Results: The mean emission rate of alpha particles in the female teeth was 0.0396±0.0070 mBq cm-2, which was relatively higher than that in the male teeth (0.0390±0.0048 mBq cm-2). Nevertheless, there was no significant difference between the female and male teeth regarding the emission rate of alpha particles. Furthermore, the emission rate of alpha particles in the teeth of the samples taken from Kufa (0.0417±0.0057 mBq cm-2) was higher than those obtained from Najaf (0.0384±0.0053 mBq cm-2). Conclusion: As the findings of this study revealed, Najaf governorate had a lower emission rate of alpha particles as compared to other sites of the worldwide. Therefore, it could be concluded that there is no negative consequence threatening the people’s health in this regard. UR - https://ijmp.mums.ac.ir/article_8933.html L1 - https://ijmp.mums.ac.ir/article_8933_34528480d08a5275d248800c1dff66db.pdf ER -