Centre for Biomedical Physics, School of Healthcare and Medical Sciences, Sunway University, Selangor, Malaysia.
Department of Physics, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Health Phys. 2019 Jun;116(6):789-798. doi: 10.1097/HP.0000000000001042.
The presence of natural radionuclides in the food chain point to a need to assess concentration levels and concomitant radiological risk. Highly popular and forming a staple part of the diet in North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and West Asia, palm dates growing naturally there have even greater marketability than simple satisfaction of domestic demand, the palm dates representing a valuable export item. Accurate knowledge of the levels of natural radioactivity in the fruit is thus of importance. In this study, using high-purity germanium gamma-ray spectrometry, quantification has been made of natural radionuclide concentrations in imported dates originating from Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia. Sample analyses reveal respective mean activity concentrations of 1.4 ± 0.3, 0.8 ± 0.4, and 186 ± 9 Bq kg dry weight for Ra, Ra, and K. For each nuclide, the mean concentration varies little between the dates of the three represented regions. The estimated committed effective dose resulting from the consumption of date fruits for a typical adult was found to be 29.9 μSv y, well below the global internal dose of 290 μSv y assessed by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation to be due to food and water intake. Similarly, the excess lifetime cancer risk due to naturally occurring radioactive material exposure via date fruit consumption is seen to be below the International Commission on Radiological Protection cancer risk factor of 2.5 × 10 based on the additional annual dose limit of 1 mSv for a member of the general public. The results show no significant uptake in the analyzed date fruits.
食物链中天然放射性核素的存在表明需要评估浓度水平和伴随的放射性风险。在北非、阿拉伯半岛和西亚，椰枣作为一种非常受欢迎的、构成饮食主食的食物，其自然生长的椰枣具有比简单满足国内需求更大的市场潜力，是一种有价值的出口商品。因此，准确了解水果中的天然放射性水平非常重要。在这项研究中，使用高纯锗伽马射线谱仪，对来自伊朗、沙特阿拉伯和突尼斯的进口椰枣中的天然放射性核素浓度进行了定量分析。样品分析显示，Ra、Ra 和 K 的平均活度浓度分别为 1.4±0.3、0.8±0.4 和 186±9 Bq kg 干重。对于每种核素，三个地区的椰枣平均浓度差异不大。从食用椰枣的角度估算出的典型成年人的预计有效剂量为 29.9 μSv y，远低于联合国原子辐射影响科学委员会评估的全球内部剂量 290 μSv y，这是由于食物和水的摄入。同样，由于食用椰枣而接触天然放射性物质导致的额外寿命癌症风险也低于国际放射防护委员会的癌症风险因素 2.5×10，这是基于普通公众的额外年度剂量限值 1 mSv。结果表明，在所分析的椰枣中没有明显的放射性核素摄入。
