NORM and TNORM in Oil Industry in North Region of Iraq

Human beings are continually being exposed to ionizing radiation from natural sources. There are two main contributors to natural radiation exposures: high-energy cosmic ray particles incident on the earth’s atmosphere and radioactive nuclides that originated from the earth crust and are present everywhere in the environment including the human body (UNSCEAR 2000). Humans are exposed to radionuclides through ingestion and inhalation (internal exposure) and/or irradiation from external gamma rays emitted from the radionuclide (external exposure). The International Basic Safety Standards (BSS) for protection against ionizing radiation and the safety of radiation sources (IAEA 1996) specify the basic requirements for the protection of health and the environment from ionizing radiation. These are based on the latest recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP 2007) on the regulation of Practices and Interventions. The BSS is applied to both natural and artificial sources of radiation in the environment and the consequences on living and non-living species.