Root uptake and foliar deposition of 226Ra, 210Pb, and 210Po in medicinal plants of Western Ghats of Karnataka

Abstract

The concentrations of radionuclides 226Ra, 210Pb, and 210Po in naturally grown medicinal plants and the soil of their rooting area from Western Ghats section of Karnataka were estimated by using HPGe gamma spectrometer and alpha counting system. The soil to plant transfer factors (TF) of each radionuclide was found. The TFs varied in the range 0.04–1.92, 0.22–5.41, and 0.6–3.81 for 226Ra, 210Pb, and 210Po respectively. The TF was found to be more than unity in some of the medicinal plants. The study may help to form the database of radionuclide concentration and TF for these medicinal plants.