Determination of Alpha Particles Levels in Blood Samples of Cancer Patients at Karbala Governorate, Iraq

Introduction: Alpha particle emitters are very damaging and harmful when entering into the human body ,if   ingested or inhaled , swallowed or absorbed  into the lungs or bloodstream . Uranium (238U), Radium (226Ra) and Radon (222Rn) are typical alpha-particle emitters. Material and Methods: we measured the level of alpha particles emitted from 222Rn, 226Ra, and 238U in blood samples of 10 cancer patients diagnosed using solid-state nuclear track detector. The samples were collected from hospitals located in Karbala Governorate of Iraq. This study was carried out between October and December 2017. Alpha particles concentrations of the collected blood samples were estimated in patient and control groups. Results: The mean concentrations of radon, radium, and uranium concentration were 64.3±25.92 Bq/m3, 3.1±1.24 Bq/kg and 1.4±0.58 ppm, respectively. Also, the results showed that radon concentrations, activity concentrations of radon, radium concentrations, and uranium concentrations were significantly higher in the patient group compared to the controls (P