Polonium-210 in total diet: a case study from Kuwait

AbstractThe activity concentrations of210Po have been determined in the most consumed Kuwaiti diet components including water and beverages. The total210Po annual intake has been calculated and was around 97.5  ± 4.1 Bq y−1 with roughly equal contributions from fish and seafood, grains, beverages, and protein (20.5  ± 0.2, 18.7 ± 0.2, 18.1 ± 1.1, and 16.7 ± 1.0 Bq y−1 sequentially). The annual intake of210Po was estimated by taking into account the loss of210Po during the cooking of seafood, tea making, and the preparation of leafy vegetable samples. The annual committed effective dose due to ingestion of210Po for the Kuwaiti adult population was 117  ± 5 µSv y−1 which doesn ’t pose a significant radiological risk.
Source: Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - Category: Nuclear Medicine Source Type: research