Estimates of Radiation Doses and Cancer Risk from Food Intake in Korea

The aim of this study was to estimate internal radiation doses and lifetime cancer risk from food ingestion. Radiation doses from food intake were calculated using the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the measured radioactivity of 134Cs, 137Cs, and 131I from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in Korea. Total number of measured data was 8,496 (3,643 for agricultural products, 644 for livestock products, 43 for milk products, 3,193 for marine products, and 973 for processed food). Cancer risk was calculated by multiplying the estimated committed effective dose and the detriment adjusted nominal risk coefficients recommended by the International Commission on Radiation Protection. The lifetime committed effective doses from the daily diet are ranged 2.957-3.710 mSv. Excess lifetime cancer risks are 14.4-18.1, 0.4-0.5, and 1.8-2.3 per 100,000 for all solid cancers combined, thyroid cancer, and leukemia, respectively.

Estimation of annual effctive dose from 226Ra and due to consumption of foodstuffs by inhabitants of Ramsar 228Ra city, Iran

[226]Ra and [228]Ra contents in foodstuffs of Ramsar which is a coastal city in the northern part of Iran were determined by gamma spectrometry. Measurement results together with food consumption rates were used to estimate annual effective dose from [226]Ra and [228]Ra, due to consumption of food stuffs by inhabitants of Ramsar city. A total of 33 samples from 11 different foodstuffs including root vegetables [beetroot], leafy vegetables [lettuce, parsley and spinach] and tea, meat, chicken, pea, broad bean, rice, and cheese were purchased from markets of Ramsar city and were analyzed for their [226]Ra and [228]Ra concentration. 1-8 kg of fresh weight sample was placed in Marinnelli beaker and sealed. The measurement of natural radioactivity levels as performed by gamma-spectrometry system, using a high purity germanium [HPGe] detector with 40% relative efficiency. The highest concentrations of [226]Ra and [228] Ra were determined in tea samples with 1570 and 1140 mBq/kg, respectively, and the lowest concentration of [226]Ra was in pea, cheese, chicken, broad bean, and beetroot.The maximum estimated annual effective dose from [226]Ra and [226]Ra due to consumption of foodstuffs were determined to be 19.22 and 0.71 microSv from rice and meat samples respectively, where as, the minimum estimated annual effective dose for [226]Ra was 0.017, 0.018 and 0.019 microSv from beetroot, cheese and pea samples respectively

Césio-137 em leite produzido em fazendas da regiäo de Angra dos Reis RJ / Cesium-137 in milk produced in farms of the region of Angra dos Reis, RJ

Nos efluentes líquidos e gasosos a serem descarregados no meio ambiente pela Central Nuclear Almirante Alvaro Alberto, em Angra dos Reis, os radionuclídeos de maior impacto potencial para a populaçäo säo trítio e radioisótopos de Cs,I, Co e Sr. Durante a fase preliminar dom programa pré-operacional de monitoraçäo radiológica ambiental, realizado por FURNASD Centrais Elétricas S.A., 137 Cs proveniente de resíduos de explosöes necleares, realizadas no passado na atmosfera, foi detectado em leite de apenas uma das fazendas incluídas nq programa. Este resultado pareceu estranho,levando a crer na existência de uma anomalia no solo fazenda, que tornasse o 137 Cs mais disponível do que o habitual para absorçäo por plantas, como já observado em alguns países. Visando esclarecer este assunto o Lab.de Radioisótopos do Instituto de Biofísica e o Lab.de Radiocologia de FURNAS decidiram uma série de análises de 137 Cs em amostras de leite,capim e solos coletados periodicamente nas quatro fazendas do programa. Os resultados obtidos demostraram a näo existência de uma naomalia de comportamento de 137 Cs no solo na regiäo. Os teores de 137 Cs em leite variaram de 0,05 a 0,93 Bq/1, mas os valores médios, nas quatro fazendas, näo eram estatisticamente diferentes. Numa das fazendas do programa obvservaram-se picos ocasionais da concentraçäo de 137Cs em leite. Estes parecem ser devidos ao manejo do gado, com permanência temporária em áreas nas quais os teores de 137Cs em solo e pasto säo mais elevados do que nas demais áreas da mesm5 azenda, e da regiäo em geral, devido à influência de micro-clima e erosäo de solo superficial