Determination of natural radioactivity concentrations in rolled oat brands available in the Iraqi market

Abstract

Oat is a nutritious healthy type of food that is widely consumed by various athletes and diet food in Iraq. This study aims to measure the natural radioactivity of potassium-40, Radium-226, and Radium-228 in rolled oat brands that are widely consumed in Iraq. Five types of oat brands retailed in Baghdad markets were collected and analyzed. A high-purity germanium detector was used for the gamma spectroscopy analysis. The mean activity concentration values of ²²⁶Ra, ²²⁸Ra, and ⁴⁰K ranged from 6.9–10.6, 3.9–6.7, to 210–484 Bq/kg, respectively. The annual effective dose was the highest for a Ukrainian brand with 36.02 μSv/year, while the radium equivalent activity values range from 31.43 to 56.1 Bq/kg. The results of the study have been compared to a number of studies and showed good agreement. The findings of the paper show that regular consumption of these kinds of oats is radiologically safe for human health.