Deposition Of Radionuclides Research Articles

Numerical modelling for the distribution of 137Cs and 131I in the scheldt basin after a potential nuclear accident

Using the discontinuous Galerkin method in the SLIM modelling framework, we study the transport in the Scheldt basin and adjacent coastal area of radionuclides possibly emitted by Doel nuclear power plant in the aftermath of an accident. The contamination pathways taken into consideration are direct liquid releases into the water and deposition via the atmosphere. In past nuclear accidents, several radionuclides were released, among which, 131I and 137Cs were considered herein. The hydrodynamics and atmospheric conditions are selected to simulate the worst-case scenario in the domain of interest. The radionuclide deposition towards the North Sea results in 131I and 137Cs being transported to the Belgian coastal region. In case of deposition towards the river, radioactivity from upstream tributaries can reach the estuary within days. Direct liquid releases spread downstream until the mouth of the estuary after about few weeks and extend upstream into the Scheldt River. In all cases, due to tidal influence, the estuary becomes most vulnerable, with radioactivity potentially circulating for over a month. Additionally, higher river discharge resulted in decreased radioactivity levels in the estuary.

Adaptation of FDMT to include process-based models and consider regional aspects following radionuclide deposition events

Experience from earlier nuclear accidents has clearly shown the need for maintaining and developing appropriate modelling capabilities. Dealing with complex issues such as human exposure following a nuclear accident necessitates the implementation of a set of interconnected models such as FDMT. FDMT is an integrated module within the two main European decision support systems for radiological emergency preparedness, ARGOS and JRODOS, to simulate the transfer of radionuclides along terrestrial food chains and to predict their activity concentrations in foodstuffs. In order to make the module more fit-for-purpose, FDMT has been implemented in a new modelling platform (ECOLEGO) which provides a high degree of flexibility with regard to conducting developmental work. This paper presents improvements in FDMT further through either the incorporation of new models or further elaboration of existing ones, as well as updates in default parameters. Models have also been made more fit-for-purpose through consideration of regional-specific parameters. Specific improvements include modelling developments related to dry deposition, radioactive particle weathering, radiocaesium transfer influenced by soil characteristics and, for a region-specific case, animal uptake. In addition, the paper presents new pathways and parameters (and updated values) to be considered for making FDMT more adapted for Norwegian conditions. Overall, the improvements made in the present work should significantly reduce the uncertainties associated with the outputs of the FDMT models.

Temporal trajectories of artificial radiocaesium 137Cs in French rivers over the nuclear era reconstructed from sediment cores

137Cs is a long-lived man-made radionuclide introduced in the environment worldwide at the early beginning of the nuclear Era during atmospheric nuclear testing’s followed by the civil use of nuclear energy. Atmospheric fallout deposition of this major artificial radionuclide was reconstructed at the scale of French large river basins since 1945, and trajectories in French nuclearized rivers were established using sediment coring. Our results show that 137Cs contents in sediments of the studied rivers display a large spatial and temporal variability in response to the various anthropogenic pressures exerted on their catchment. The Loire, Rhone, and Rhine rivers were the most affected by atmospheric fallout from the global deposition from nuclear tests. Rhine and Rhone also received significant fallout from the Chernobyl accident in 1986 and recorded significant 137Cs concentrations in their sediments over the 1970–1985 period due to the regulatory releases from the nuclear industries. The Meuse River was notably impacted in the early 1970s by industrial releases. In contrast, the Seine River display the lowest 137Cs concentrations regardless of the period. All the rivers responded similarly over time to atmospheric fallout on their catchment, underlying a rather homogeneous resilience capacity of these river systems to this source of contamination.

Retrospective analysis of the deposition of artificial radionuclides in sediments of the Yenisei River

Large-scale research of the Yenisei River sediments that has been conducted in the area affected by the MCC of Rosatom over a long distance, up to 1580 km downstream of Krasnoyarsk, has revealed the presence of various artificial radionuclides, thus making it possible to calculate sedimentation rates by using different radioisotope techniques. Retrospective analysis shows that in the past 60 years, considerable activities of the artificial radionuclides 137Cs and 152Eu entered the sediments of the river from the MCC-affected area during the anomalous floods in 1966 and 1988 and 60Co – during the 2006 flood. To explain the radionuclide peaks in the layers dated to other periods, additional sediment research is needed.

Radionuclides deposition on sea surface following hypothetical accidental releases at Korean nuclear power plant

Radionuclides deposition on sea surface following hypothetical accidental releases at Korean nuclear power plant

Study of the radionuclide deposition in the radioactive ion line of the Selective Production of Exotic Species (SPES) facility

SPES (Selective Production of Exotic Species) is a second generation facility for the production of radioactive ion beams that is going to be commissioned at the Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro of INFN at Legnaro, Padua, Italy. Radioactive neutron-rich isotopes are expected to be produced by nuclear fission induced by a 40 MeV, 200 μA primary proton beam impinging on a 238UCx target. The expected reaction rate is about 1013 fission/s. Radioactive ion beams are produced using the isotope separation on-line technique. The production of such an amount of radioactive species raises radiological issues throughout the life cycle of the facility. A study of the radioactive contamination of the components of the radioactive ion beam line is performed with the FLUKA Monte Carlo simulation code, under realistic hypotheses for the produced isobaric beams. The present results complete previous studies focused on the radiological impact of the production target irradiation, the residual activation of the primary proton beam line and the radioactive contamination of the ion source complex. The overall ambient dose equivalent rate due to the different radiation sources is calculated at several positions inside the production bunker and at different times after a typical one-year operating period of the facility with the 238UCx target at full power. The obtained results and the developed methodology provide the guidelines and the needed tools to plan ordinary and extraordinary interventions as well as final decommissioning of the SPES facility.

Development of calculation tool for iodine 131 biodistribution depending on the aerosol particle distribution.

Radiation damage to tissues depends on radiation exposure levels. Therefore, we have studied accurate estimations of radiation exposure levels so far. Recently, we developed a tool that can calculate the respiratory tract deposition of radionuclides based on polydisperse particle size distribution. As a next step, there is a need for a new calculation tool for the biodistribution of radionuclides because a fraction of the radionuclides deposited in the respiratory tract is absorbed into the body. In this study, a calculation tool for iodine 131 biodistribution depending on aerosol size distribution was developed. The developed tool in this study is used with the former tool.

Potential Airborne Releases and Deposition of Radionuclides from the Santa Susana Field Laboratory during the Woolsey Fire.

The Santa Susana Field Laboratory (SSFL), located in southern California, is a former research facility, and past activities have resulted in residual radioactive contamination in Area IV of the Site. The Woolsey Fire burned across the site, including some of the contaminated areas, on 8-11 November 2018. Atmospheric transport modeling was performed to determine where the smoke plume went while the fire burned across the SSFL and the deposition footprint of particulates in downwind communities. Any radionuclides on vegetation and in surface soil released by the fire were assumed to follow particulate matter transport path and deposition. The predicted deposition footprint was used to guide confirmatory soil sampling at 16 locations including background. Highest offsite deposition was determined to be northeast of the Oak Park community, which is located about 6 km southwest of SSFL. Depth-profile sampling was used to evaluate whether radionuclides of SSFL origin were potentially emitted and deposited during the Woolsey Fire. If radionuclides had been deposited from the Woolsey Fire at sufficient concentrations, then they would be detected in the surface layer and would be expected to be higher within the plume footprint than outside it. An upper bound estimate of the hypothetical effective dose to a person in Oak Park based on measured radionuclide concentrations in soil and vegetation on the SSFL was less than 0.0002 mSv. The occurrence of naturally occurring radionuclides at concentrations above the established background for the SSFL was attributed to natural variability in geologic formations and not SSFL. No anthropogenic radionuclides were measured at levels above those expected from global fallout. The soil sampling confirmed that no detectable levels of SSFL-derived radionuclides migrated from SSFL at the locations sampled because of the Woolsey Fire or from past operations of the SSFL.

Long-Term Contamination of the Arabian Gulf as a Result of Hypothetical Nuclear Power Plant Accidents

Long-term consequences of radionuclide contamination of the Arabian Gulf as a result of hypothetical accidents at the Bushehr and Barakah nuclear power plants (NPPs) were studied using a chain of models including the atmospheric dispersion model RIMPUFF, the marine compartment model POSEIDON-R, and the dose model. The compartment model POSEIDON-R is complemented by a dynamic model of the biota food chain that includes both pelagic and benthic organisms. The source terms for the hypothetical releases of the selected radionuclides (134Cs, 137Cs, 106Ru, and 90Sr) in the atmosphere were defined as a fraction of respective reactor inventories available in the literature. Conservative meteorological scenarios for the calculation of the initial depositions of radionuclides were selected. Because the Gulf is shallow, a significant portion of the reactive radionuclides (134Cs, 137Cs, 106Ru) remain in the bottom sediments and continue to contaminate water and benthic organisms for a long period of time. The annual dose due to the consumption of marine products can exceed 1 mSv, whereas the annual dose due to drinking the water from desalination plants is expected to be an order less. The contribution of elements to the dose depends on the type of reactor. This is manifested in differences between the contributions of different marine organisms to the dose.

Application of Geant4-DNA for simulating water radiolysis induced by Auger electron-emitting radionuclides.

Auger-emitting radionuclides have potential application in targeted radiotherapy, particularly for metastatic cancers. This possibility, especially, is stemmed from their characteristic short-range (a few μm) in biological systems allowing localization of high dose within small tumours. To explore this potential application, a Geant4 Monte Carlo toolkit has been employed to simulate the energy deposition of different radionuclides in a water model. The Geant4 Monte Carlo toolkit has model packages to simulate the interaction of radiation with matter and with diverse applications such as studies in science and medicine. In this study, the Geant4-DNA package was used to simulate the radiolytic yields induced by some Auger electron-emitting (AE) radionuclides including; I-131, I-125 and Pd-103, In-111, Ru-97 and Rh-103m in water model. The results showed that the transient yield of the radiolytic species is characterized by the kinetic energies of the emitted electrons. It was observed that almost all the radionuclides, except I-131, deposited more energy in their proximity thereby inducing a high density of spurs to interact in a short time. It is, therefore, important to consider the kinetic energies of the emitted particles in choosing a radionuclide for specified targeted radiotherapy. This means that apart from their toxicity, compatibility with chelator and carrier molecules, and method of production, we can predict radionuclides such as In-111, Ru-97, Pb-103m and I-125 could be relevant for targeted radiotherapy for the treatment of metastasis lesions, or tiny tumours at the cellular level, and tumours after surgical resection.

A Systematic Approach to the Development of a Methodology for Comparative Analysis of Scenarios for the Shelter Object Transformation into an Ecologically Safe System

A comprehensive assessment of the impact of wildfires in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone on the adjacent territory within a radius of 100 km in the spring of 2020 and 2022 was carried out, considering the potential and realized radioecological criticality of the territory. The realized radioecological criticality was expressed in the estimated specific activity of 137Cs in plants, which was formed as a result of aerial and root pollution of agricultural vegetation in farm fields and gardens during the transfer and deposition of radionuclides during fires. The specific activity of 137Cs in plants was calculated based on the data on the integrated volumetric activity of 137Cs, obtained by the WRF-LEDI model of atmospheric transport, using the set of models “AeralPlant — SoilPlant” depending on the biological stage of plant development. According to the results of the calculations, thematic mapping was carried out with the selection of zones of maximum and minimum contamination of the territory, taking into account potential radioecological criticality. Regardless of the volume activity of 137Cs in the air and the direction of air transfer, the spatial nature of the distribution of the most critical areas is preserved. As a result, the most critical areas were identified, where dangerous levels of radiation exposure on the population are possible due to atmospheric transport of radionuclides caused by wildfires and extreme weather phenomena (dust storms) in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone. Different scenarios of the regional land use structure were considered and thematic assessment maps were built, which are the basis of preventive planning of rehabilitation measures in case of critical situations in accordance with radiation safety norms.

Enhancement of Mass Interception Coefficient Data of Radiostrontium by Leafy Crops Using Global Fallout 90Sr and Naturally Occurring 7Be.

When artificial radionuclides are released into the atmospheric environment, one of the important processes by which they affect the human radiation dose is the direct deposition of the radionuclides onto crop surfaces. Because leafy vegetables are consumed while fresh and often raw, the mass interception coefficient [= concentration in food (Bq/kg dry mass (DM) or fresh mass)/total deposition (Bq/m2)] is a key parameter for estimating radionuclide concentrations in crops after the deposition of radionuclides on plant stands. However, such data are still sparse, especially for radiostrontium (89Sr and 90Sr). To enhance the mass interception coefficient data for leafy crops, we used global fallout 90Sr data in leafy crops harvested in 1963-1965 and the deposition data for the corresponding crop growing period. Geometric mean values of the mass interception coefficient of 90Sr for leafy crops were 2.8 m2 kg-1 DM for spinach, 0.60 m2 kg-1 DM for cabbage, and 1.3 m2 kg-1 DM for Chinese cabbage. For comparison, we measured naturally occurring 7Be in giant butterbur leaves, and the results showed that the data were similar to those of 90Sr for spinach. These data were similar to the previously obtained data by single spike radiotracer experiments. Therefore, in the case of nuclear emergency situations, mass interception coefficient data obtained using global fallout 90Sr and/or naturally occurring 7Be should be valuable to estimate radioactivity contamination levels of radiostrontium directly deposited on leafy crops.

Current radioactive fallout contamination along a trans-European gradient assessed using terricolous lichens.

Lichens are considered to be good indicators of contamination of the terrestrial environment. In this study, we investigated the level of 137Cs and 4K accumulated by Cladonia arbuscula and Stereocaulon alpinum along a longitudinal gradient from northern Norway, across Sweden to southern Poland. Additionally, we compared isotope contents between the selected lichen species, and investigated the correlation of the 137Cs content accumulated by C. arbuscula with 137Cs fallout after the Chernobyl disaster. The activity of 137Cs varied from 3.58 Bq kg-1 to 559 Bq kg-1 for S. alpinum, and from 1.18 Bq kg-1 to 130 Bq kg-1 for C. arbuscula. The activity of 4K ranged from 114 Bq kg-1 to 341 Bq kg-1 for S. alpinum and from 27.2 Bq kg-1 to 314 Bq kg-1 for C. arbuscula. The 137Cs content did not differ between C. arbuscula and S. alpinum; however, the difference between species was significant for 4K accumulation. The activity of 137Cs in C. arbuscula was significantly correlated with deposition from 1986. Based on our findings we created a spatial map of 137Cs activity in lichens measured 30 years after the event that was the primary source of this isotope. We showed that C. arbuscula can be used to assess contamination and create interpolation maps of radionuclide deposition, even if the primary deposition took place many years ago.

Westerly drives long-distance transport of radionuclides from nuclear events to glaciers in the Third Pole

Major nuclear bomb tests and nuclear power plant incidents release large amounts of radionuclides. This study investigates beta (β) activities of radionuclides from four ice cores in the Third Pole (TP) to understand the transport routes and related atmospheric processes affecting the radionuclides deposition in glaciers of the region. All the ice cores show three major β activity peaks in the ice layers corresponding to 1963, 1986, and 2011. The β activity peak in the 1963 ice layer is referred to as the well-known 1962 Nuclear Bomb Test. Beta activity peaks in 1986 and 2011 ice layers from the Chernobyl and Fukushima Nuclear Incidents (CNI, FNI). Hysplit forward and backward trajectory analyses suggest that the radionuclides were transported by the westerly into the stratosphere and then to the high elevation TP glaciers. In the FNI case, the radionuclides traveled over Japan, the Pacific Ocean, Europe, and central Asia before being deposited in the TP glaciers. Investigations of the atmospheric circulation confirm that the stronger northern branch of westerly is responsible for high radionuclides during the FNI in the TP. Less precipitation with water vapor flux component divergence after the FNI also contributed to the enriched radionuclides.

Зонування територій радіоактивного забруднення після Чорнобильської аварії

The radiological zoning of Chornobyl contaminated areas was one of the essential elements of social and radiation protection. The zoning was based on estimates of annual committed effective doses to members of the public and on the levels of radionuclide deposition density. In 1991, 86 settlements were classified as associated with the zone of unconditional (mandatory) resettlement, and 841 settlements were assigned to the zone of guaranteed voluntary resettlement. The status of these settlements has been preserved until now. The assessments showed that as of 2022, for all settlements located outside the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone the radiological conditions do not exceed the current legislative criteria for inclusion in the zone of unconditional (mandatory) resettlement. It is also shown that in 2022, the zone of guaranteed voluntary resettlement can be assigned for: only 38 settlements, according to the legislative criterion "90Sr density of contamination" and only 17 settlements, according to the legislative criterion "137Cs density of contamination". The work also indicates and analyses the provisions of current legislation that require clarification.

Impacts on air dose rates after the Fukushima accident over the North Pacific from 19 March 2011 to 2 September 2015.

A fleet of thirteen in-service global container ships continuously measured the air dose rates over the North Pacific after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS) accident. The results showed that the elevated air dose rates over the Port of Tokyo and the FDNPS emissions are significantly correlated (log(emission fluxes) = 54.98 x (air dose rates) (R = 0.95, P-value<0.01), and they are also significantly correlated with the Tsukuba deposition fluxes (log(deposition fluxes) = 0.47 + 30.98 (air dose rates) (R = 0.91, P-value<0.01). These results demonstrate the direct impact of the FDNPS emissions on the depositions of radionuclides and the air dose rates over the Port of Tokyo. Over the North Pacific, the correlation equations are log(emission fluxes) = -2.72 + 202.36 x (air dose rates over the northwestern Pacific) (R = 0.40, P-value<0.01), and log(emission fluxes) = -0.55 + 80.19 x (air dose rates over the northeastern Pacific) (R = 0.29, P-value = 0.0424). These results indicate that the resuspension of the deposited radionuclides have become a dominant source in the transport of radionuclides across the North Pacific. Model simulations show underestimated air dose rates during the periods of 22-25 March 2011 and 27-30 March 2011 indicating the lack of mechanisms, such as the resuspension of radionuclides, in the model.

Validation of a High-Throughput Dicentric Chromosome Assay Using Complex Radiation Exposures.

Validation of biodosimetry assays is routinely performed using primarily orthovoltage irradiators at a conventional dose rate of approximately 1 Gy/min. However, incidental/ accidental exposures caused by nuclear weapons can be more complex. The aim of this work was to simulate the DNA damage effects mimicking those caused by the detonation of a several kilotons improvised nuclear device (IND). For this, we modeled complex exposures to: 1. a mixed (photons + IND-neutrons) field and 2. different dose rates that may come from the blast, nuclear fallout, or ground deposition of radionuclides (ground shine). Additionally, we assessed whether myeloid cytokines affect the precision of radiation dose estimation by modulating the frequency of dicentric chromosomes. To mimic different exposure scenarios, several irradiation systems were used. In a mixed field study, human blood samples were exposed to a photon field enriched with neutrons (ranging from 10% to 37%) from a source that mimics Hiroshima's A-bomb's energy spectrum (0.2-9 MeV). Using statistical analysis, we assessed whether photons and neutrons act in an additive or synergistic way to form dicentrics. For the dose rates study, human blood was exposed to photons or electrons at dose rates ranging from low (where the dose was spread over 32 h) to extremely high (where the dose was delivered in a fraction of a microsecond). Potential effects of cytokine treatment on biodosimetry dose predictions were analyzed in irradiated blood subjected to Neupogen or Neulasta for 24 or 48 h at the concentration recommended to forestall manifestation of an acute radiation syndrome in bomb survivors. All measurements were performed using a robotic station, the Rapid Automated Biodosimetry Tool II, programmed to culture lymphocytes and score dicentrics in multiwell plates (the RABiT-II DCA). In agreement with classical concepts of radiation biology, the RABiT-II DCA calibration curves suggested that the frequency of dicentrics depends on the type of radiation and is modulated by changes in the dose rate. The resulting dose-response curves suggested an intermediate dicentric yields and additive effects of photons and IND-neutrons in the mixed field. At ultra-high dose rate (600 Gy/s), affected lymphocytes exhibited significantly fewer dicentrics (P < 0.004, t test). In contrast, we did not find the dose-response modification effects of radiomitigators on the yields of dicentrics (Bonferroni corrected P > 0.006, ANOVA test). This result suggests no bias in the dose predictions should be expected after emergency cytokine treatment initiated up to 48 h prior to blood collection for dicentric analysis.

Statistical approach to assess radon-222 long-range atmospheric transport modelling and its associated gamma dose rate peaks

Abstract. There is a need for a validation framework for long-range atmospheric transport modelling dedicated to radionuclides. For distances greater than 50 km, the modelling of radionuclide deposition and ambient gamma dose rate evaluation are particularly difficult to validate, since it has been mainly only observed after the accidents of Chernobyl and Fukushima. There is however a natural wet deposition phenomenon leading to numerous well-observed gamma dose rate events: the scavenging of radon-222 progeny by rain. Radon-222 exhalation from the soil to the atmosphere, its decay, its progeny, its own transport, the transport of its progeny, their deposition, and the consequent ambient gamma dose rate are then modelled at the European scale. This whole atmospheric radon model from soil (exhalation) to soil (deposition) needs to be validated by comparison with observations. The biggest benefit of this case study is the number of events that serve as a comparison. For a statistical evaluation of the performance of the model, we compared its results with gamma dose rate observations over a period of two years, gathering more than 15 000 peaks greater than 10 nSv h−1 above the background radiation. Two sets of metrics were used to assess the agreement between the model and observations: on a case by case basis (peak to peak) and continuously (whole time series of gamma dose rates and air concentrations). Particular attention was paid to defining the metrics in order to remove the background radiation level and to exclude outlier stations. We found that 48 % of the gamma dose rate peaks are well modelled, a fraction of which can rise up to 89 % by being more tolerant with the success criteria. The model has proven to be of the correct magnitude, with room for substantial improvement. Overall, the modelling shows better recall than precision: i.e. a tendency to produce more false positives than false negatives. It is also less effective in reproducing the highest peaks. Exhalation, vertical mixing and deposition have been identified as the three main features which could improve this model. Now validated, with all its limitations, the atmospheric radon model may serve for its primary purpose, the validation of atmospheric transport modelling and its input data. It also may serve as a framework to test any exhalation model on a national or continental scale. Moreover, it is useful to learn how to properly use the data of an ambient gamma dose rate network, and how to compare this data to modelled data. Finally, some interesting features concerning the assessment of outdoor concentrations of radon-222 became apparent.

Sedimentary conditions based on the vertical distribution of radionuclides in small dystrophic lakes: a case study of Toporowe Stawy Lakes (Tatra Mountains, Poland)

The aim of this work was to prove the use of radionuclides deposited in sediment core taken from an overgrowing dystrophic lakes surrounded by marsh-peat vegetation to estimate sedimentary conditions. Sediment core samples were taken from the Toporowe Stawy Lakes (Niżni (TSN) and Wyżni (TSW); Tatra Mountains). The sampling was done using a Limnos corer. After the physical sample preparations, gamma measurements were performed. Radiochemical analysis was applied with the aim of determining 210Pb radioactivity by means of 210Po. The mean values for TSN lake are as follows: 137Cs ~ 123 Bq∙kg−1, 40 K ~ 389 Bq∙kg−1, 228Th ~ 55 Bq∙kg−1, 226Ra ~ 86 Bq∙kg−1, 241Am ~ 5 Bq∙kg−1, and 210Pbuns ~ 180 Bq∙kg−1. For TSW lake, the radioactivity levels of 226Ra and 241Am are comparable to the TSN. The mean values of 137Cs, 40 K, and 228Th are almost twice as high as in TSN. The level of 210Pb in uppermost layer of TSN is higher than in TSW. Sediments were dated by use of 210Pb method, and the rate of sedimentation of each layer was also estimated. Basic chemometric tools were used to confirm the way of deposition of radionuclide, find the correlations between variables, and compare analyzed lakes. It was concluded that the presented type of lakes are a valuable source of information and the vertical distribution of radionuclide can be used to interpret the source of material supply and factors that influence the sedimentation process in recent 150–200 years.

Concentration of radionuclides in Swedish market basket and its radiological implications

The entrance of radionuclides to the human food chain together with the ingestion favour tissues deposition of radionuclides throughout the human body, which may have long-term implications for radiation doses. That affects world population, since it represents approximately 12% of the annual effective dose received for the public. This contribution will be quite variable depending on the food habits, food origin and the background levels of the place of residence. It is therefore necessary to monitor the food to be able to control and quantify the risk of exposure of the public. A wide range of food products (vegetables, fruits, meat, fish etc.) have been collected and analysed by different radiometric techniques in order to measure the activity concentration of naturally occurring and anthropogenic radionuclides (40K, 137Cs, 210Po, 226Ra, 228Ra, 234U and 238U). The results of the investigation highlighted that the average committed effective dose from one year's food consumption in Sweden ranged from 82 to 142 μSv for children and it was around 134 μSv for adults. Additionally, considering the consumption percentile 95 (P95), the total ingestion exposure could raise up to 560 μSv/y for children and 340 μSv/y for adults. In all population groups analysed, the internal exposure was mainly controlled by the intake of 210Po (∼ 94–98%), in particular via seafood consumption for example, as a result of the high levels of 210Po in shellfish such as shrimp (30 ± 2 Bq/kg) or blue mussel (55 ± 7 Bq/kg).