Title: Annual effective dose assessment for ²²⁶Ra and ²²⁸Ra due to consumption of foodstuffs by Tehran city residents

Authors: Maryam Asefi, Ali Asghar Fathivand, Jamshid Amidi

Addresses: Iranian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (INRA), National Radiation Protection Department (NRPD), P.O. Box 14155–4494, Tehran, Iran. ' Iranian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (INRA), National Radiation Protection Department (NRPD), P.O. Box 14155–4494, Tehran, Iran. ' Iranian Nuclear Regulatory Authority (INRA), National Radiation Protection Department (NRPD), P.O. Box 14155–4494, Tehran, Iran

Abstract: A total of 71 samples from 23 different foodstuffs, namely root vegetables (beetroot, carrot, onion, potato, radish and turnip), leafy vegetables (lettuce, parsley, spinach and white cabbage) and lentils, kidneys, soya, eggs, rice, meat, tomato paste, cooking oil, salami, tea, bread, sausage and cubic sugar, were purchased from markets and analysed by gamma spectrometry for their ²²⁶Ra and ²²⁸Ra concentrations. The highest concentrations of ²²⁶Ra and ²²⁸Ra were determined in tea samples with 2000 and 1200 mBq kg^-1, respectively. The maximum estimated annual effective doses for ²²⁶Ra and ²²⁸Ra due to consumption of foodstuffs were determined to be 1.843 and 0.890 µSv, respectively, from bread samples, whereas the minimum estimated annual effective doses for ²²⁶Ra and ²²⁸Ra were determined to be 0.016 and 0.028 µSv from lentil and tomato paste samples, respectively.

Keywords: gamma spectrometry; naturally occurring radionuclides; Ra; annual effective dose; Tehran; Iran; foodstuffs; low radiation; natural radioactivity; food.

DOI: 10.1504/IJLR.2006.012018

International Journal of Low Radiation, 2006 Vol.3 No.2/3, pp.192 - 195

Published online: 09 Jan 2007 *

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