Ingestion dose from 238U, 232Th, 226Ra, 40K and 137Cs in cereals, pulses and drinking water to adult population in a high background radiation area, Odisha, India.

Lenka, Pradyumna; Sahoo, S. K.; Mohapatra, S.; Patra, A. C.; Dubey, J. S.; Vidyasagar, D.; Tripathi, R. M.; Puranik, V. D.

A natural high background radiation area is located in Chhatrapur, Odisha in the eastern part of India. The inhabitants of this area are exposed to external radiation levels higher than the global average background values, due to the presence of uranium, thorium and its decay products in the monazite sands bearing placer deposits in its beaches. The concentrations of 232Th, 238U, 226Ra, 40K and 137Cs were determined in cereals (rice and wheat), pulses and drinking water consumed by the population residing around this region and the corresponding annual ingestion dose was calculated. The annual ingestion doses from cereals, pulses and drinking water varied in the range of 109.4–936.8, 10.2–307.5 and 0.5–2.8 µSv y−1, respectively. The estimated total annual average effective dose due to the ingestion of these radionuclides in cereals, pulses and drinking water was 530 µSv y−1. The ingestion dose from cereals was the highest mainly due to a high consumption rate. The highest contribution of dose was found to be from 226Ra for cereals and drinking water and 40K was the major dose contributor from the intake of pulses. The contribution of man-made radionuclide 137Cs to the total dose was found to be minimum. 226Ra was found to be the largest contributor to ingestion dose from all sources.

ODISHA (India); INDIA; INGESTION; BACKGROUND radiation; RADIATION doses; GRAIN; DRINKING water; ADULTS; RADIOACTIVE decay

Radiation Protection Dosimetry, 2013, Vol 153, Issue 3, p328

0144-8420

Academic Journal

10.1093/rpd/ncs115