The simple and effective technique of fission track etch has been applied to determine trace concentration of uranium in human blood samples taken from two groups of male and female participants: leukemia patients and healthy subjects group. The blood samples of leukemia patients and healthy subjects were collected from three key southern governorates namely, Basrah, Muthanna and Dhi-Qar. These governorates were the centers of intensive military activities during the 1991 and 2003 Gulf wars, and the discarded weapons are still lying around in these regions. CR-39 track detector was used for registration of induced fission tracks. The results show that the highest recorded uranium concentration in the blood samples of leukemia patients was 4.71 ppb (female, 45 years old, from Basrah) and the minimum concentration was 1.91 ppb (male, 3 years old, from Muthanna). For healthy group, the maximum uranium concentration was 2.15 ppb (female, 55 years old, from Basrah) and the minimum concentration was 0.86 ppb (male, 5 years old, from Dhi-Qar). It has been found that the uranium concentrations in human blood samples of leukemia patients are higher than those of the healthy group. These uranium concentrations in the leukemia patients group were significantly different (P
Molybdenum-99 is one of the most important radionuclides for medical diagnostics. In 2015, the International Atomic Energy Agency organized a round-robin exercise where the participants measured and calculated specific saturation activities achievable for the (98)Mo(n,γ)(99)Mo reaction. This reaction is of interest as a means to locally, and on a small scale, produce (99)Mo from natural molybdenum. The current paper summarises a set of experimental results and reviews the methodology for calculating the corresponding saturation activities. Activation by epithermal neutrons and also epithermal neutron self-shielding are found to be of high importance in this case.
Micro-mapping of terrestrial gamma radiation dose (TGRD) at meter grid spacing in and around four urban homes in Miri City shows rates ranging from 70 to 150 nGy/h. Tiled surfaces (floors and walls) vary between properties and have a clear and significant influence on TGRD which is highest in kitchens, washrooms and toilets. Application of a single indoor value for annual effective dose (AED) may lead to underestimations of up to 30%. The AED is unlikely to exceed 0.8 mSv in homes of this type in Miri, which is within recommended guidelines.