https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-026-08016-6
Regular Article
Spatial distribution of radon-222 in outdoor areas of Kufa City, Al-Najaf Governorate, Iraq
1
General Directorate for Thi-Qar Education, Ministry of Education, Thi-Qar, Iraq
2
Faculty of Science, Physics Department, University of Kufa, Al Najaf, Iraq
a
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Received:
18
March
2026
Accepted:
28
June
2026
Published online:
6
July
2026
Abstract
The current study is an inquiry to estimate the outdoor concentration of radon-222 (
) in the Kufa urban area, which lies in Al-Najaf Governorate, Iraq, using a passive method (CR-39 detector). Outdoor radon estimation are conducted in specific residential sites and open spaces to acquire representative environmental data. Also, it assesses the radiological health risk based on standard risk indices, which include estimating the equilibrium of equivalent concentration (EEC, Bq/m3), potential alpha energy (PAE, mWL), exposure to 222Rn progeny (ER, mWLM5/y), and annual effective dose due to inhaled radon (DRn, mSv/y). The study was done from September to December in 2025. As a result, the outdoor radon concentration results ranged from 4.91 Bq/m3 to 9.83 Bq/m3, with an average of 8.16 ± 1.62 Bq/m3. The average values of EEC, PAE, ER, and DRn are 4.89 Bq/m3, 1.32 mWL, 13.62 mWLM/y, and 0.077 mSv/y, respectively. It is found that the outdoor radon concentrations in Kufa City are generally below the safe level recommended by World Health Organization (WHO). Accordingly, there is clear evidence of sufficient atmospheric dilution enhancement for open areas. The calculated EEC and PAE are indicative of relatively low alpha energy potential, whereas the exposure rate (ER) supports negligible public cumulative radon exposure. The estimated annual effective dose (DRn) has been found considerably lower than the world reference levels for environmental radiation exposure. In general, the results demonstrate that outdoor radon levels in Kufa do not keep a radiological safety. The current study served as baseline data for the assessment of environmental radiation in the target area, as well as evidence for the pacing of the future monitoring program to guarantee public health and radiological safety outdoors.
Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/s13360-026-08016-6.
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© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Società Italiana di Fisica and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2026
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
