Hayder Hamza Hussain Al-shibana

Metal carcinogenesis has recently been attracting attention not only in terms of occupational diseases but in ordinary environments. But many aspects of their carcinogenetic mechanisms are unknown. This research has been done to determine the effects of some biochemical parameters in women with breast cancer. Twenty two blood samples of women with breast cancer who took chemotherapy and other twenty five blood samples of healthy women as control group at ages ranging from 33-74 years, In Middle Euphrates Center Cancer (MECC), Al Najaf city. Some trace elements were measured in these women. Serum concentrations of trace elements were measured by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometer. It was used Statistical analysis program of data version 20 to analysis all data. This study showed a significant decrease in level of copper (Cu), manganese (Mn) and nickel (Ni) while there was a significant increase in level of zinc (Zn) and iron (Fe).

Radon concentrations in brick samples collected from different countries were measured using the sealed-can technique based on the CR-39 SSNTDs. CR-39 detectors are widely used for radon exhalation rate measurements in bricks under different conditions. The detectors were exposed to standard radon concentration from a standard 226Ra source. The average 222Rn and 226Ra concentrations are found to be 280 Bq m-3 and 1.72 Bq kg-1 , respectively. The highest radon exhalation rate was found in Samawah bricks, Iraq. The values of effective radium content are less than the permissible value of 370 Bq kg-1

In order to assess the radioactive level in the environment, the specific activities of 238U, 232Th and 40K were measured by using a gamma ray spectrometer based on a NaI(Tl) detector. The results showed that the specific activities of 238U, 232Th and 40K were 12.846-88.585, 1.304-26.656 and 11.598-2275.896 Bq/kg respectively. The radium equivalent activity was also calculated which varied from 0.893 to 175.244 Bq/kg. The radium equivalent average values were lower than the world average. In general, the highest level of radium equivalent value was in leafy type NPK fertilizers. The urea type had no radionuclide. The specific activity and absorbed dose rate at 1m above the ground surface (nGy/h) after NPK fertilizers agricultural applications were calculated and the maximum value of dose rate was 0.15% of the world average outdoor exposure due to terrestrial gamma radiation.

The stellar material, from which the earth was formed, about 4.5 billion years ago, contained many unstable nuclides (Scholten and Timmermans, 1996). Some of the original primordial nuclides, whose half-lives are about as long as the earth's age, are still present. Radiation comes from outer space (cosmic), the ground terrestrial, and even from within over bodies. It present in the air we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink and in the construction materials used to build our houses. So, radiation is all around us, it is naturally in our environment and it has been since the birth of our planet (Maher and Raed, 2007). Radioactivity of soil environment is one of the major sources of exposure to human (Abusini, 2007). The 235U, 232Th series and natural 40K are the main source of natural radioactivity in soil (Yasir et al., 2007; Vosniakos et al., 2002). Since these natural occurring radio

People are exposed to ionizing radiation from the radionuclides that are present in different types of a natural sources, of which building materials is one of the most important sources. Radionuclides in building materials belonging to 238U, 232Th series as well as radioisotope of Potassium 40K are the major contributors of outdoor terrestrial natural radiation. This study is the first ever in Iraq. In order to estimate the radiological impact to the dweller, the activity concentration of radionuclides present in various Iraqi building materials were analyzed using Gamma-spectrometry. The radiation hazard indexes were calculated based on the above results. The results showed that the activity concentration of 238U, 232Th and 40K was between 32.9 Bq/kg (Najaf gypsum)–179.32 Bq/kg (Karbala cement), 1.98 Bq/kg (Najaf sand)–17.43 Bq/kg (Qadisiya brick) and 108.73 Bq/kg (Karbala sand)–977.79 Bq/kg (Najaf brick), respectively. All values of Radium equivalent activities were found to be less than the maximum permissible limit and the internal hazard indexes (except Karbala cement) were less than unity for the radiation hazard. Some samples have external annual dose and external hazard index