The presence of radiotoxic 210 Po and 210 Pb in Ukrainian wild medicinal plants and the assessment of related dose and cancer risk.

Abstract

Herbal plants are considered natural pharmaceuticals but also accumulate chemical elements and compounds at high levels. 210 Po and 210 Pb are highly radiotoxic and may cause carcinogenesis due to ionizing radiation. Thirteen of the most popular wild-growing herbaceous plant species, mostly included in the European Pharmacopoeia, were collected across Ukraine. 210 Po and 210 Pb were determined in the medicinal plants, and their radiotoxicity and cancer risk were calculated. The results of 210 Po activities measured in herbal raw material ranged from 2.28Bq kg-1 dw (where dw is dry weight) in herb of common horsetail (Equisetum arvense L.) collected near Lviv to 37.7Bq kg-1 dw in leaves of common birch (Betula pendula Roth.) from Rava Ruska. The activity concentrations of 210 Pb varied from 0.44Bq kg-1 dw in leaves of common birch from Starokostyantyniv to 28.4Bq kg-1 dw in leaves of common birch from Mizhhirya. There were statistically significant differences between 210 Po and 210 Pb content in flowers, leaves, and aerial portions. The studies indicated that the estimated annual effective radiation dose from Ukrainian herbs consumption was low, ranging 5.00-82.6 µSv from 210 Po and 0.56-35.8 µSv from 210 Pb, while the cancer morbidity and mortality risk ranged from 10-4 to 10-6 . The presented data indicated no radiological risk related to using herbal plant materials.