Rede Nordeste de Biotecnologia (RENORBIO), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil.
Programa de Pós-graduação em Desenvolvimento e Meio Ambiente (PRODEMA), Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2020 Jan;27(1):143-157. doi: 10.1007/s11356-019-06962-6. Epub 2019 Dec 13.
Natural radioactivity is a public health concern worldwide. Its deleterious effects are largely associated with emitting ionizing particles which generate innumerable toxicological consequences to human being. The present study aimed to describe the research state of the art on natural radioactivity in Brazil through a systematic review limited to articles published in the twenty-first century in the PubMed, SciELO, Lilacs, and Google Scholar databases. A total of 55 research articles were considered for this purpose. Based on the collected sample types, the radiation analysis in most of the scientific reports was performed on solid samples (soil/sediment/rocks), followed by water and air. In fact, most of the available information came from geological studies. A wide range of concentrations and a variety of radionuclides have been assessed, with radium being the most cited. Most of the studies described radiation levels above the international guidelines, and consider the Brazilian territory as a high natural background radiation region (HNBR). In comparison with other HNBR areas, the scientific information about the related risks to human health is still scarce. There is uncertainty about the real impact of natural radioactivity on human health, as there is a lack of scientific information for most of the country about this issue. The analysis and comparison of the available information highlights the potential risks linked to natural radioactivity and the need to incorporate suitable environmental management policies about this issue.
天然放射性是全球范围内的公共卫生关注点。其有害影响主要与发射电离粒子有关,这些粒子会对人类产生无数的毒理学后果。本研究旨在通过对 21 世纪在 PubMed、SciELO、Lilacs 和 Google Scholar 数据库中发表的文章进行系统综述,描述巴西天然放射性的研究现状。为此,共考虑了 55 篇研究文章。基于收集的样本类型,大多数科学报告中的辐射分析都是在固体样本(土壤/沉积物/岩石)上进行的,其次是水和空气。实际上,大部分可用信息都来自地质研究。评估了广泛的浓度和各种放射性核素,其中镭被引用最多。大多数研究都描述了高于国际准则的辐射水平,并认为巴西领土是一个高天然本底辐射区(HNBR)。与其他 HNBR 地区相比,关于人类健康相关风险的科学信息仍然很少。由于缺乏关于这一问题的大部分国家的科学信息,因此对天然放射性对人类健康的实际影响存在不确定性。对现有信息的分析和比较突出了与天然放射性相关的潜在风险,以及需要制定有关这一问题的适当环境管理政策。