Radon activity, physicochemical water quality, and age-specific radiological risk assessment in tap water of Iraqi Kurdistan

Twenty tap water samples were collected from various sites across Iraqi Kurdistan and subjected to comprehensive analysis aimed at monitoring radon activity concentrations alongside key physicochemical parameters. Radon measurements were carried out using a RAD7 radon detector, and the obtained results were evaluated against internationally recommended guidelines and benchmarked with findings from comparable regional studies. Radon activity concentrations in the collected samples ranged between 0.45 and 3.85 Bq/L, yielding a mean of 1.40 Bq/L, values that fall well within the permissible limits established by both the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). Based on these measurements, both the annual ingestion effective dose and the annual inhalation effective dose were calculated across three distinct age categories: infants, children, and adults. The resulting radiological health risk estimates remained, in general, below the WHO threshold of 100 μSv/y. Among the three age groups, infants consistently recorded the highest annual ingestion and annual inhalation effective dose values, while the ingestion pathway was found to contribute a greater dose burden than inhalation across all groups. Statistical evaluation indicated a significant correlation between radon concentration and the associated radiological health risk parameters; however, no meaningful relationship was established between radon levels and the majority of the physicochemical characteristics examined in this study. • Analyse of the tap water in Ranya region from Iraq to measure radon level. • RAD7 detector was used for radon measurement. • Correlation between radon concentration and temperature, pH, EC, and TDS was obtained. • Radon level in those samples were below the maximum levels allowed by international standards.