Sources of Polonium 210Po and Radio-Lead 210Pb in Human Body in Poland

The activity of 210Pb in cigarette smoked in Kazakhstan

The radon decay product 210Pb is a known component of tobacco. In this study, the activity concentration of 210Pb in the most popular cigarette brands (six samples) for Kazakhstan consumers was determined by beta spectrometry. The activity levels of 210Pb ranged between 2.69 ± 0.27 and 27.42 ± 2.74 mBq per cigarette. Higher activity concentrations for 210Pb were found in Sample No.4 and showed an excess of the world average by 1.8 times. The average activity concentrations of 210Pb in cigarette tobacco were 10.42 ± 1.04 mBq cig-1. The daily activities inhaled in the lungs of a smoker, and the resulting effective doses due to cigarette smoking were calculated. Effective doses per year due to cigarette smoking were calculated assuming that 42.13% of the 210Pb in tobacco were retained in the lungs of the smokers. It is concluded that for a smoker in Kazakhstan, the average effective dose ranges from 9.1 ± 0.9 μSv/year to 92.8 ± 9.3 μSv/year for a cigarette consumption of one pack of cigarettes per day. The results indicate that the annual effective doses from inhalation of 210Pb due to smoking one pack of cigarettes per day are from 7 to 58 times (for different types of cigarettes) greater than the annual effective doses from ingestion of radionuclides via the diet.

Investigation and assessment of natural radioactivity in commercial animal feeds in Texas

Commercial animal feed in Texas was characterized by determining natural gamma emitters including 40K,137Cs, and Uranium (235U and 238U) and Thorium (232Th) series to obtain basic radioactivity values. The measured activity concentration of natural radionuclides in animal feed was low enough for safe consumption by animal and largely depended on the type of animal feed.40K was the predominant radionuclide showing the highest activity concentration in animal feed. The radioactivity concentration of 214 Bi and 214Pb in 238U decay series was 1.39 and 1.33 Bq/kg in corn, respectively, lower than in other animal feed types. On the other hand, the vitamin/mineral mix samples showed higher concentrations of 214 Bi (9.04 Bq/kg) and 214Pb (10.19 Bq/kg). Beef cattle feed, poultry feed, and vitamin/mineral mix exhibited higher activity concentration of 228Ac and 212Pb in 232Th decay series. Gamma radionuclides appeared to be highly and significantly correlated within each decay series. 235U was present at low levels in all feed samples while the anthropogenic radionuclide of 137Cs was not detected irrespective of the type of animal feed. This study highlights an importance of establishing a current baseline of radioactivity concentration in animal feed in Texas in which the largest animal feed consumption in the US exists.

The concentration of radioisotopes (Potassium-40, Polonium-210, Radium-226, and Thorium-230) in fillet tissue carp fishes: A systematic review and probabilistic exposure assessment

Chemical contamination of seafood has become a global health concern. Carp fish is one of the most widely consumed globally, and several studies have been conducted on the contamination of carp fish with radioisotopes. In the current study, a meta-analysis and probabilistic exposure assessment regarding the Potassium-40 (40K), Polonium-210 (210Po), Radium-226 (226Ra), and Thorium-230 (230Th) in the fillet tissue of carp fish were performed. In this regard, Scopus and PubMed were screened to retrieve the associated citations with on the concentration of radioisotopes in the fillet tissue of carp fish until October 2021. The rank order of radioisotopes in fillet tissue carp fish was 40K (103.49 Bq kg-1) > 210Po (9.39 Bq kg-1) > 226Ra (0.62 Bq kg-1) > 230Th (0.39 Bq kg-1). The highest effective dose due to 210Po ingestion was observed in Spain (male; 4.44E-05 Sv y-1, female; 2.67E-06 Sv y-1); 40K (female, 5.07E-07 Sv y-1); 226Ra (male, 9.93E-09 Sv y-1). The mean of effective dose (ED) in the male and females in India due to ingestion of 230Th as result of carp fish consumption was (1.70E-06 Sv y-1) and (7.01E-08 Sv y-1), respectively. The probabilistic exposure assessment by the Monte Carlo simulation method revealed that consumers of fillet tissue carp fish content of radioisotopes are at a safe range (0.001 Sv y-1).

Verification of radon, radium, polonium concentrations and lung cancer rates in blood of female hookah smokers

Hookah smoking has become very popular in Iraq among women and men. Hookah tobacco contains natural radioactive elements, such as radon, radium, and uranium, as well as toxic elements, such as polonium, which are released during the combustion of tobacco and are inhaled by smoking. Most reviews focus on hookah tobacco, and only a few have investigated the blood of hookah smokers. In this study, a CR-39 detector was used to measure radon, radium, and polonium concentrations and conduct risk assessments in female hookah smokers of different ages. The results show that the concentrations of radon-222, polonium-218, and polonium-214 varied between 61.62 and 384.80, 5.45–33.64 on the wall of the can, and 2.43–15.00 Bq/m3 on the surface of the detector, respectively. The effective radium-226 concentration varied between 4.52 and 56.31 Bq/kg. The absorbed effective dose varied between 1.55 and 9.71 mSv/y, which is within the recommended limit (3–10 mSv/y) by International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). The average case of lung cancer 107.91 cppp, which exceeds the European Union (EU) limit (96.9–104.8 cppp). The rates of radon activity and radon exhalation from the intake of a natural radionuclide due to hookah smoking in a female’s blood were calculated and discussed. This study aimed to establish preliminary results on the risks of radioactivity concentrations and assess the dose in the blood of women who smoke hookah and assess the possibility of developing cancer.

Study of Polonium (210Po) Activity Concentration in Fruit Wines Derived from Different Locations in Poland

This study aimed at assessing the activity concentration and the annual effective dose of polonium-210 (210Po) in fruit wines derived from four locations in Poland (Warmian−Masurian, Podlaskie, Lubelskie and Małopolskie voivodeships). The fruit wines differed significantly (p < 0.05) in 210Po activity depending on the production site, with the Małopolskie site having the highest activity (61.4−221.4 mBq/L) and the Podlaskie having the lowest (3.5−97.1 mBq/L). The site differentiation was due to environmental conditions—soil parameters (uranium concentration), precipitations and terrain characteristics, e.g., the proximity of the lakes. The increased activity concentration of 210Po in samples from Małopolska compared with the other sites probably derived from the environment polluted with aqueous wastes and particulate air pollution. The annual effective dose due to the ingestion of fruit wines ranged from 0.112 to 1.214 µSv/year. These levels of exposure are safe according to the WHO criterion (0.1 mSv per year for ingestion) and to the IAEA reference level for public exposure including food (1 mSv per year). Summing up, the data obtained provide information on the activity concentration of 210Po in fruit wines and increase databases on the natural radioactivity of foodstuffs. Future work is needed to examine 210Po activity in samples from all vineyard regions in Poland.