Radiological Risks Due to Long-Lived Gamma Emitters in Breakfast Cereal Samples from Iraqi Markets

Authors

  • Layth Y. Jebur Radiology Techniques Department, College of Medical Technology, Islamic University, Najaf, Iraq
  • Mustafa R. Taher Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Kufa, Al-Najaf, Iraq
  • Mohammed D. Shareef Radiology Techniques Department, College of Medical Technology, Islamic University, Najaf, Iraq
  • Ali A. Abojassim Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Kufa, Al-Najaf, Iraq
Volume: 15 | Issue: 5 | Pages: 27756-27760 | October 2025 | https://doi.org/10.48084/etasr.12819

Received: 19 June 2025 | Revised: 14 July 2025, 21 July 2025, and 28 July 2025 | Accepted: 1 August 2025 | Online: 2 October 2025


Corresponding author: Ali A. Abojassim

Abstract

The limits of radionuclides contained in foods should be minimal for safe human consumption. This study examined the radiological hazards of 238U, 232Th, and 40K in cereal samples, for three age groups—infants, children, and adults—using a NaI(Tl) detector. The results ranged from 5.67 ± 0.61 to 11.82 ± 1.09 Bq/kg, 2.27 ± 0.29 to 9.76 ± 0.61 Bq/kg, and 152.37 ± 3.34 to 323.63 ± 7.56 Bq/kg, respectively, and showed that the levels were within the limits set by UNSCEAR: 238U = 33 Bq/kg, 232Th = 45 Bq/kg, and 40K = 420 Bq/kg.

Keywords:

natural radioactivity, NaI(TI) detector, breakfast cereals, radiological risk, Iraqi markets

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

N. Takigawa and K. Washiyama, Fundamentals of Nuclear Physics. Tokyo: Springer Japan, 2017.

M. A. K. H. Al-Sadi and I. H. Kadhim, "Environmental Assessment of the Background Radiation in Sediment Samples Selected from Euphrates River in Babil Province, Iraq," Engineering, Technology & Applied Science Research, vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 22734–22738, June 2025.

J. Waida et al., "Transfer of K40, Ra226 and Th232 from Soil to Plants and Water Resulting from Mining Activities in Bassa, Plateau State, Nigeria (Health Implications on the Inhabitants)," Journal of Ecology of Health & Environment, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 5–11, May 2022.

B. R. Martin and G. Shaw, Nuclear and Particle Physics, 2nd ed. Nashville, TN, USA: John Wiley & Sons Inc, 2019.

T. Alrefae, T. N. Nageswaran, and T. Al-Shemali, "Radioactivity of long lived gamma emitters in breakfast cereal consumed in Kuwait and estimates of annual effective doses," International Journal of Radiation Research, vol. 10, no. 3, pp. 117–122, Dec. 2012.

N. N. Jibiri and A. A. Okusanya, "Radionuclide contents in food products from domestic and imported sources in Nigeria," Journal of Radiological Protection: Official Journal of the Society for Radiological Protection, vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 405–413, Sept. 2008.

H. H. Abbas, S. A. Kadhim, S. F. Alhous, H. H. Hussein, and F. A. A.-T. and H. A. A. Mraity, "Radiation Risk Among Children due to Natural Radioactivity in Breakfast Cereals," Nature Environment and Pollution Technology, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 527–533, Mar. 2023.

Z. B. Mohammed, I. S. Obai, N. A. Jaafar, A. A. Abojassim, and A. A. G. Al-Khayfawee, "Natural Radioactivity in some Local Food Samples Consumed by Children in Iraq," Current Research in Nutrition and Food Science Journal, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 856–863, Aug. 2024.

F. A. Taher and A. A. Abojassim, "Uranium concentrations and its isotopes in baby food of Iraq," Radiochimica Acta, vol. 112, no. 6, pp. 391–399, June 2024.

A. S. Kanmi et al., "Estimation of soil-to-plant transfer factor across six local government areas of Kwara state, Nigeria," Journal of Environmental Radioactivity, vol. 280, Dec. 2024, Art. no. 107548.

H. H. Hussain, R. O. Hussain, R. M. Yousef, and Q. Shamkhi, "Natural radioactivity of some local building materials in the middle Euphrates of Iraq," Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry, vol. 284, no. 1, pp. 43–47, Apr. 2010.

N. F. Kadhim, H. N. B. Khalaf, H. A. Hassan, and M. Y. A. Mostafa, "Determining the natural radioactivity of spices widely used in Iraq," International Journal of Environmental Analytical Chemistry, vol. 103, no. 13, pp. 3097–3108, Oct. 2023.

G. K. Agbajor, O. O. E. Enaroseha, D. Osiga-Aibangbee, A. F. Akpolile, and A. B. Umukoro, "Ingestion exposure of natural radionuclide and toxic heavy metallic origin in samples of local staple food," Nuclear Analysis, vol. 4, no. 3, Sept. 2025, Art. no. 100182.

S. A. Okedeyi et al., "Assessment of Natural Radioactivity Levels of 40K, 226Ra and 232Th in Some Selected Baby Food in Southwestern Nigeria," Caliphate Journal of Science and Technology, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 175–183, Sept. 2024.

UNSCEAR: Sources and effects of ionizing radiation. Assembly, with scientific annexes., vol. I. New York, NY, USA, 2000.

A. A. Perdon, K. S. Poutanen, and S. L. Schonauer, "Breakfast cereals and how they are made—Introduction," in Breakfast Cereals and How They Are Made, 3rd ed., A. A. Perdon, S. L. Schonauer, and K. S. Poutanen, Eds. Oxford, UK: AACC International Press, 2020, pp. 1–4.

M. Tarahi, S. Hedayati, and M. Niakousari, "Supplementation of Cereal Products with Edible Insects: Nutritional, Techno-Functional, and Sensory Properties," Food Reviews International, vol. 40, no. 10, pp. 3398–3423, Nov. 2024.

Z. S. Hamzah, A. K. Hashim, and A. A. Abojassim, "Assessment of Annual Effective Dose and Excess Lifetime Cancer Risk in Grain Samples Collected from Kerbala Governorate, Iraq," Iranian Journal of Science and Technology, Transactions A: Science, vol. 46, no. 3, pp. 989–998, June 2022.

UNSCEAR: Sources and effects of ionizing radiation. Assembly, with scientific annexes., vol. II. New York, NY, USA, 2008.

ICRP: Preface, executive summary and glossary. Ottawa, Ontario, Canada: ICRP, 2007.

Downloads

How to Cite

[1]
L. Y. Jebur, M. R. Taher, M. D. Shareef, and A. A. Abojassim, “Radiological Risks Due to Long-Lived Gamma Emitters in Breakfast Cereal Samples from Iraqi Markets”, Eng. Technol. Appl. Sci. Res., vol. 15, no. 5, pp. 27756–27760, Oct. 2025.

Metrics

Abstract Views: 39
PDF Downloads: 12

Metrics Information

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Layth Y. Jebur, Mustafa R. Taher, Mohammed D. Shareef, Ali A. Abojassim

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:

- Authors retain the copyright and grant the journal the right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.

- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.

- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) after its publication in ETASR with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.