Assessment of the natural radioactivity levels in Kirkuk oil field

The natural radioactivity levels of Kirkuk oil field are studied using high resolution gamma rays spectrometry. For this reason, soil samples were collected from three sites in the Iraq North Oil Company: Baba Gurgur, Shurau and old process plant (Terkiz). The activity concentrations obtained for 238U-series (226Ra, 214Pb, and 214Bi), 232Th-series (228Ac, 212Pb, and 208Tl) and 40K. The results have been compared with the worldwide average values. The radium equivalent activity (Raeq), the absorbed dose rate (D), the annual effective dose rate (AEDE), the external hazard (Hex), the internal hazard (Hin) and Gamma radiation representative level Index (Iγ) were also obtained and compared with the international recommended values.