Determination of uranium concentration in soil of Baghdad Governorate and its effect on mitotic index assay

Abstract EN

The aim of this work is to determine the uranium concentration in soil samples taken from the north, south, east, west and center of the city of Baghdad and measure its impact on the rate of cell division for non-smokers peoples and living in those areas and that between the ages 25-30 year.

The uranium concentration in the samples determined by using CR-39 track detector.

As calculated for the ten samples of each site when irradiated by thermal neutrons from the (Am-Be) source with flux (5x 103 n S-1cm-2), the concentration values were calculated by a comparison with standard geological samples.

The results indicate that the extent of the concentration of uranium in the soil north and east of Baghdad was 12.9 ± 0.7 in Al-Taji north of Baghdad and 12.4 ± 0.23ppm in the Diyala-Bridge area east of Baghdad and the results were recorded lower concentration of uranium in the western, central and southern Baghdad, which stood at 0.60 ± 0.21 in the Abu Ghraib area west of Baghdad, and 4.6 ± 0.7ppm in the Bab-Al-Sharqee of central Baghdad and 0.87 ± 0.7ppm in Al-Mhmodya area south of Baghdad .

The mitotic index assay MI in the north and east of Baghdad was 2.3 ± 0.059 in the north and 2.43 ± 0.059 in eastern Baghdad, while the lowest rate in West and Central and South compared with the threshold level of 0.6.

Which indicates contamination north and east of Baghdad as a result of uranium wars on Iraq passed in 2003 which negatively affects the behavior of lymphocytes and on the rate of division.