²¹⁸Po and ²¹⁴Po in pharmaceutical materials derived from medical plant, Iraq

¹ Radiology Techniques Department, College of Health and Medical Techniques Al-Mustaqbal University, 51001 Babylon, Iraq
² Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, University of Kufa, Al-Najaf, Iraq
³ Department of Information and Electric Engineering and Applied Mathematics, Ambra. Lab-Laboratory of Ambients and Radiation, University of Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, I-84084 Fisciano, Italy

^* Corresponding author: ali.alhameedawi@uokufa.edu.iq

Abstract

In the present work, POW (Polonium-218 and Polonium-218 on the wall) and POS (Polonium-218 and Polonium-218 on the surface) that were deposited in the irradiation container were determined for 70 samples of pharmaceutical materials made from medical plants. Pharmaceutical materials were collected from the Iraqi pharmacies and divided into six groups: drugs (solid), skin creams, herbs, toothpaste, drugs (liquid), and cosmetic products POW and POS were measured using track detector type CR-39. The average values of POW in drugs (solid), skin creams, herbs, toothpaste, drugs (liquid), and cosmetic products samples were 9.70 ± 2.18 Bq/m3, 14.93 ± 4.01 Bq/m3, 6.84 ± 1.02 Bq/m3, 15.23 ± 3.98 Bq/m3, 17.21 ± 4.33 Bq/m3, and 5.10 ± 0.88 Bq/m3, respectively. While the average values POS in the six groups of the present study were 10.06 ± 2.25 Bq/m3, 15.47 ± 4.15 Bq/m3, 7.09 ± 1.06 Bq/m3, 15.78 ± 4.12 Bq/m3, 17.83 ± 4.49 Bq/m3, and 5.29 ± 0.92 Bq/m3, respectively. The data in the present study showed that the concentrations of Polonium were lower than the maximum permissible limit (550 Bq/m3) according to WHO. So, Pharmaceutical materials in Iraqi pharmacies were safe.