An estimate of the cancer risk due to inhalation and ingestion of radon from internal and external materials used for newborns in Iraq

In this work, 222Rn was measured in materials for a newborn in Najaf Governorate, using a CR-39 detector. Radiological parameters, including the annual effective dose (AED), lifetime cancer risk (ELCR), and lung cancer incidence (LCC), were estimated. The results show that the range values of 222Rn concentrations, AEDinhalation, and LCC×10−6 in the external materials samples were 14.43-57.72 Bq/m3, 0.055-0.218 mSv/y, and 0.98-3.93, respectively. For internal materials, the range values of 222Rn, AEDingestion, and ELCR×10−6 were 8.66-36.08 Bq/m³, 0.0004-0.577 µSv/y, and 0.001-2.22, respectively. The average values of external and internal materials were 23.62 Bq/m³ and 20.65 Bq/m³, respectively. The global safe limits of the world due to inhalation and ingestion of 222Rn, according to the WHO, UNSCEAR, and ICRP, are ≤ 1 mSv/y and 0.1 mSv/y, respectively. Therefore, the use of the studied samples by newborns in this study does not lead to significant changes in the internal effective dose.