Abstract
The concentrations of natural radioactivity of 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K were measured in nuts and seeds samples consumed in Saudi Arabia. A high-resolution HPGe detector was used for the natural radionuclides measurement. The results indicate that 40 K was detected in all samples, whereas 226 R and 232 Th were found only in Brazil nut sample. The average concentration of 40 K in the investigated samples was 363.82 Bq kg -1 . The estimated annual effective dose due to ingestion of nuts and seeds was 0.068 mSvy -1 lower than the annual dose limit of 1 mSv y -1 for public exposure. This indicates that no risk is expected by the intake of the studied nuts and seeds samples. The radionuclide concentrations were compared with those reported from different countries.
Highlights
The naturally occurring radionuclides, especially 40K and the radionuclides of 238U and 232Th series, are the major sources of natural radiation exposure to human being
The results indicate that 40K was detected in all samples, whereas 226R and 232Th were found only in Brazil nut sample (S13) as 63.02Bqkg-1 and 50.53Bqkg-1, respectively
These values are higher than the world median limit 45for 226Ra and 32Bqkg-1for 232Th[ 13] ; they are in agreement with the high levels of radium in Brazil nuts, 56 and 104.8 Bq kg-1, reported by [14, 15]
Summary
The naturally occurring radionuclides, especially 40K and the radionuclides of 238U and 232Th series, are the major sources of natural radiation exposure to human being. About 87% of the radiation dose received by humans is caused by natural radiation sources [1]. Foodstuffs contain both natural and man-made radionuclides, which after ingestion lead to an effective internal dose. It has been estimated that at least one-eighth of the mean annual effective dose of natural sources is occurred by the consumption of foodstuff [2]. For contamination assessment of foodstuff consumed by humans, it is crucial to identify the baseline value, or the level of radiation dose of natural and synthetic radionuclides. Due to their nutritional composition, extensive research has been conducted on nuts and their
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