Determine the concentration of radon and uranium in different types of tea

Abstract

ABSTRACT Radon is a radioactive element from 238U decay series which is naturally occurring and found in different concentrations in many biological formations. This radioactive gas rises from the sample and enters the homes and human lungs daily. The present study aims to determine the concentration of radon in 25 different types of tea collected from local markets in Kurdistan Iraqi region which are mostly consumed by the population because tea is one of the most food used in the form of cold and hot drinks in Iraq, so 25 samples of the most frequently traded tea have been collected from the market. Analysis of the concentrations of Radon-222 and Radium-226 for different types of household tea samples are very substantial for realising the comparative contributes of specific substances to the whole radon content set within the human body and his environment, which is the recommended limit for ICRP values (200–800) Bq.m−3. CR-39 detector was used to record the tracks of alpha particles released from radon content within the tea samples with PVC tube. The chemical etching NaOH solution 6.25 N was using at 70°C for 8 hours to enlarge and appear the alpha tracks, then scanned by microscope. The results showed that the lowest concentration of radon was 3.468 Bq.m−3 (TE11, 0.01%) found in Aero plane tea, while the highest value was recorded in Royal tea which was 123.467 Bq.m-3 (TE22, 8%) with an average value of radon concentration was 61.754 Bq.m−3. The obtained radon concentration levels in the samples were lower than the global permissibility limiting of exposure to radon were within the allowed limit value (200 Bq.m−3), also found to be lower than the (400 Bq.m−3) according to ICRP in foods; therefore, this will not form any risk on human being life.