Assessment of cancer risk and radiological effects from 210Po and 210Pb with consumption of wild medicinal herbal plants.

BACKGROUND: Plants' raw materials can accumulate chemical elements, including radioisotopes, to some extent and reflect the region they grow in. Due to their high environmental content and toxicity, natural radionuclides - polonium 210Po and lead 210Pb are the most dangerous radioisotopes for human health. METHODS: 70 raw medicinal herbal materials from 54 popular wild-growing medicinal plant species, most of them included in the European Pharmacopoeia, were collected across three regions. In 210 samples, the activity concentrations of 210Po and 210Pb were determined, and their radiotoxicity and cancer risk were calculated. RESULTS: The results of 210Po and 210Pb activities measured in herbal raw material were from 0.12 mBq g-1 dry weight in the fruits of the common chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) to 19.7 mBq g-1 dw in herb of ground elder (Aegopodium podagraria) for 210Po, while for 210Pb ranged from 0.16 mBq g-1 dw to 34.3 mBq g-1 dw in the same plants. There were statistically significant differences between 210Po and 210Pb content in leaves, herbs, flowers, and fruit. The studies indicated that the estimated annual effective radiation dose from Polish medicinal herbs consumption was low, ranging 0.03-105 µSv from 210Po and 0.02-98.2 µSv from 210Pb, while the risk of cancer morbidity and mortality ranged from 10-5 to 10-9. CONCLUSIONS: Consumption of the tested medicinal herbs is safe from the radiological point of view and, based on the predictions related to the calculated risk of cancer, should not increase the probability of its occurrence.

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

Herbal plants are considered natural pharmaceuticals but also accumulate chemical elements and compounds at high levels. 210Po and 210Pb 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. 210Po and 210Pb were determined in the medicinal plants, and their radiotoxicity and cancer risk were calculated. The results of 210Po activities measured in herbal raw material ranged from 2.28 Bq kg-1 dw (where dw is dry weight) in herb of common horsetail (Equisetum arvense L.) collected near Lviv to 37.7 Bq kg-1 dw in leaves of common birch (Betula pendula Roth.) from Rava Ruska. The activity concentrations of 210Pb varied from 0.44 Bq kg-1 dw in leaves of common birch from Starokostyantyniv to 28.4 Bq kg-1 dw in leaves of common birch from Mizhhirya. There were statistically significant differences between 210Po and 210Pb 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 210Po and 0.56-35.8 µSv from 210Pb, 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.

Assessment of Be-7, Pb-210 and Po-210 Activities in Airborne Particulate Matter Over Istanbul, Türkiye.

Airborne particulate matter is one of the air pollutants which can have detrimental health effects in the human body. Radionuclides adsorb onto air particles and make their way to humans primarily through inhalation. Naturally-occurring radionuclides, 210Pb and 210Po, are of notable health concern due to their relatively elevated ingestion and inhalation doses. In the current study, activity concentrations of 7Be, 210Pb and 210Po were determined in air particulate matter (PM). PM2.5 was collected on the European side, while PM10 was collected on the Anatolian side of Istanbul. Be-7, 210Pb and 210Po activities were found to be 5.17 ± 2.35, 0.96 ± 0.42; 0.25 ± 0.14 mBq m- 3 in Anatolian side, respectively. Be-7, 210Pb and 210Po activities were found to be 3.81 ± 2.27, 0.62 ± 0.29, 0.29 ± 0.26, mBq m- 3 in European side, respectively. The ratio of 210Po/210Pb was found to be higher (0.47 ± 0.31 for PM2.5 and 0.34 ± 0.27 for PM10) than the global average of 0.1. This result can be explained by the fact that Po is more volatile than Pb and enhanced in the air by the combustion process. Inhalation dose rates of 210Pb and 210Po due to PM10 exposure were calculated to be 7.70 ± 3.30 and 4.05 ± 2.31 µSv year- 1, respectively. Pb-210 bioaccessibility was assessed by the extraction of the particles in simulated lung fluids. Approximately 24.8% of inhaled 210Pb was estimated to be bioaccessible. This study suggests that 210Po and 210Pb activities are partially enhanced in the air particles in Istanbul and should be regularly monitored.

Factors Contributing to Accumulation of 210Po in Freshwater Fishes in Dong Thai Lake, Vietnam and Radiological Hazard Assessment.

210Po (polonium), one of the most toxic naturally occurring radionuclides, is well-known as a common natural radionuclide in fish species. Human consumption of 210Po-contaminated fish could result in a significant internal dose. This study determined by alpha spectrometry the 210Po activity in sixteen selected fish species with different living behaviors (pelagic, demersal), trophic positions (herbivores, carnivores, omnivorous), and masses in Dong Thai Lake, Hanoi, Vietnam. The min, max, and average of the 210Po concentration of sixteen fish species were 0.80 ± 0.44, 12.7 ± 0.20, and 3.54 ± 0.31 Bq kg-1, respectively. Regarding the different living behaviors, trophic positions, and masses, the results showed trending of 210Popelagic > 210Podemersal; 210Poherbivores < 210Pocarnivores < 210Poomnivorous and 210Po<0.2 kg > 210Po0.2-1 kg > 210Po>1 kg, respectively. The 210Po concentrations in muscle tissue were greater in fish species with a small mass, omnivorous trophic position, and pelagic living behavior relative to demersal fish with a larger mass that were herbivores or carnivores. In addition, the results showed an uneven distribution of 210Po activities in atmospheric aerosols, terrestrial soils, surface waters, and lake sediments in the study area. The primary source of 210Po could be supplied from atmospheric aerosols and/or terrestrial soils in the study area. The 210Po annual effective dose for adults due to fish consumption has been calculated with a range from 20 to 400 µSv y-1 and 111 µSv. y-1 on average, and it is far below the allowable limits of 1000 µSv y-1.

Po-210 activity concentrations in wild and farmed fish from the Aegean Sea and Sea of Marmara and dose assessment to consumers.

Polonium (210Po) is the major contributor (with approximately 90%) to the radiation dose from radionuclides contained in the human diet, and it is mostly associated with seafood. This study presents 210Po activity concentrations in the tissues of 16 fish species from the Aegean Sea and Sea of Marmara. Among all species investigated, the highest 210Po activity concentration was 4450 ± 33 Bq kg-1 dry weight (dw) in the digestive tract of anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus), and the lowest 210Po activity concentration was 1.3 ± 0.6 Bq kg-1 (dw) in the muscle tissue of the thornback ray (Raja clavata). Significant differences in 210Po concentrations were consistently found among the tissues of fish (P < 0.05). In general, the prominent accumulation of 210Po was observed in the digestive tract and liver while the muscle tissue generally displayed the lower concentrations. Polonium concentrations in the internal organs, such as muscle and liver, were related to the feeding ecology of fish and thus are a consequence of 210Po transfer in the food chain rather than 210Po uptake from water. The average 210Po concentration in fish filet was 54.1 Bq kg-1 dw and to attain the recommended limit for the annual committed effective dose (1 mSv year-1) would require the consumption of 1024 kg of mixed fish filet in 1 year, which is unlikely to happen. The highest 210Po activity concentration in the edible part of fish (filet) was determined in the anchovy (E. encrasicolus) but to reach the 1 mSv year-1 limit would require still the consumption of 7.1 kg year-1 of anchovy filet. Similar size specimens of wild and farmed fish, Dicentrarchus labrax and Sparus aurata, were analyzed to assess the differences in 210Po concentrations. Polonium concentrations in the wild fish were several-fold higher than in farmed specimens, these ones fed with fish feed with 210Po content lower than natural food in the sea. Therefore, the current trend of increasing the consumption of seafood from aquaculture seems to be reducing the radiation exposure to 210Po in the human diet that is considered beneficial to public health.

The Concentration of Radionuclides (Lead-210, Polonium-210, and Cesium-137) in the Muscle of Sardine Fish: a Global Systematic Review, Meta-analysis, and Exposure Assessment.

With the increasing use of nuclear technology, concerns about the contamination of water resources with radionuclides and the contamination of seafood are increasing. In the current investigation, a meta-analysis and exposure assessment regarding the concentration of radionuclides, including lead-210 (Pb-210), polonium -210 (Po-210), and cesium-137 (Cs-137) in the muscle of Sardin fish were conducted. In this regard, some databases including Scopus and PubMed were selected to retrieve papers on the concentration of radionuclides in the muscle of Sardin fish from January 2000 to 25 June 2021. The used keywords were polonium-210, natural radioactivity, lead-210, radiocesium, cesium-137, radionuclides, radium-226, seafood, marine foods, fish, sardine fish, sardinella longiceps, and Clupeidae. Also, effective dose (ED) was calculated to estimate carcinogenic risk in Sardine fish consumers. The rank order of radionuclides in the muscle of sardine fish was Po-210 (31.50 Bq/kg) > Pb-210 (3.34 Bq/kg) > Cs-137 (0.48 Bq/kg). Based on level of Pb-210 rank of countries was France (12.00 Bq/kg) > India (4.06 Bq/kg) > Turkey (3.29 Bq/kg) > Spain (1.00 Bq/kg) > Slovenia (0.55 Bq/kg); Po-210 was Turkey (74.96 Bq/kg) > Spain (48.00 Bq/kg) > France (31.500 Bq/kg > India (30.25 Bq/kg) > Slovenia (25.00 Bq/kg) > Kuwait (7.28 Bq/kg) and also, Cs-137 was Japan (1.22 Bq/kg) > Croatia (0.18 Bq/kg) > India (0.23 Bq/kg). The lowest and highest ED of 210Po was observed in Kuwait (5.10E-04 msv/y, female) and France (3.14E-01, male); Pb-210, Slovenia (7.24E-05 msv/y, male) and France (1.48E-02 msv/y, female), and Cs-137, Croatia (8.47E-08 msv/y, male) and Japan (2.54E-05 msv/y, female), respectively. The risk assessment shows that the exposed population are at an acceptable range of risk (H < 1 mSv/y).

MONTE CARLO SIMULATION OF POLONIUM ION COLLECTION IN ELECTROSTATIC FIELD FOR THE PURPOSE OF RADON DETECTOR DEVELOPMENT.

Radon detectors based on an electrostatic collection of polonium and detection of its alpha decay are a popular choice for the measurement of radon activity. Due to the nature of $^{222}$Rn decays, 88% of radon progeny have a positive charge, thus enabling their collection on an electrode. A simulation software focused on the drift and diffusion of ions in an electric field has been developed, providing a tool to study and characterise such detectors. It has been found that one such device achieves only 44% collection efficiency, caused by the loss of a large fraction of the ions before reaching the collection diode. An improvement of the design is therefore proposed, changing the placement of the sensor resulted in an simulated increase of the collection efficiency up to 93%. Preliminary measurements performed using prototypes of these detectors confirm the results of the simulations.

Background 210Po activity concentrations in Greenland marine biota and dose assessment.

Polonium-210 (210Po) is a radionuclide sentinel as it bioaccumulates in marine organisms, thereby being the main contributor to committed dietary doses in seafood consumers. Although seafood and marine mammals are an important part of the traditional Inuit diet, there is a general lack of information on the 210Po concentrations in the Greenlandic marine food chain leading to the human consumer. Here, we determine background 210Po concentrations in edible parts of different marine organisms from Greenland and provide a dose assessment. Blue mussels (Mytilus edulis), organs of ringed seal (Pusa hispida) and polar bear (Ursus maritimus) displayed significantly elevated 210Po concentrations in respect to all other studied organisms (p < 0.001). 210Po concentrations ranged from 0.02 Bq kg-1, w.w. in Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) muscle to 78 Bq kg-1, w.w. and 202 Bq kg-1, w.w. in ringed seal muscle and kidneys, respectively. 210Po concentration ratio for edible parts increases in the order bladderwrack (Fucus Vesiculosus), northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis), blue mussels, and from fish species to ringed seal and polar bear. 210Po distribution in fish, ringed seal, and polar bear follows a general pattern, the lowest concentrations were in muscle, and the highest concentrations were in the organs involved in metabolism. The derived 210Po annual absorbed dose in edible parts of studied marine organisms are several orders of magnitude lower than the recommended dose rate screening value of 10 µGy h-1. Effective doses from intake of 210Po to Greenland average children (1.4 mSv y-1), and high seafood and marine mammal consumers (2 mSv y-1 for adults and 3.6 mSv y-1 for children) are higher than the world average annual effective dose due to ingestion of naturally occurring radionuclides.

Dose assessment for polonium-210 (Po-210) in New Zealand shellfish.

Worldwide, Po-210 is an important contributor to human ionising radiation exposure through food. To characterise the ionising radiation dose for New Zealanders from Po-210 in shellfish, a dose assessment was undertaken. Deterministic and probabilistic dietary models were constructed by assigning shellfish consumption rates to Po-210 activity concentrations measured in shellfish. Modelling was undertaken for different shellfish consumer populations and geographical areas. Dietary modelling estimated an annual dose range from 4 µSv to 6070 µSv. The lowest dose was calculated for the overall shellfish consumer population residing in areas where baseline Po-210 activity concentrations were measured in shellfish. The highest dose was calculated for the high shellfish consumer population residing in areas where elevated activity concentrations were measured in shellfish. For the majority of the New Zealand population, the total estimated dose did not exceed the selected reference level of 1000 µSv, and Po-210 is therefore not a cause of concern. About 50% of high shellfish consumers residing in areas where shellfish had elevated Po-210 activity concentrations were exposed to ionising radiation resulting in an annual dose higher than 1000 µSv. Exposure assessment for different demographic groups identified that higher shellfish consumption rates in the population identifying as Maori lead to higher doses of ionising radiation for this group.

Distribution, annual committed effective dose, and health safety assessment of 210Po in marine biota from Kalpakkam coast, Bay of Bengal.

Seafood, intertidal biota, beach sediment, and seawater from Kalpakkam coast, Bay of Bengal were analyzed for 210Po to evaluate the internal exposure and other radiological safety aspects. Kalpakkam houses various nuclear power generation facilities on its coast. The activity concentration of 210Po was more pronounced in the intertidal organisms. Pelagic planktivorous fishes have the highest activity of the non-technogenic radionuclide, followed by the detrital feeders, benthic planktivores, benthic carnivores, and pelagic carnivore fishes. The affinity of 210Po to organic detrital matter and planktonic organisms has led to a higher accumulation of radionuclide in planktivorous fishes. Activity concentration of 210Po in seafood ranged between 1.13 ± 0.3 and 96.71 ± 1.6 Bq kg-1 (Becquerel/kilogram). In seaweeds and gastropods, it ranged from 2.09 ± 0.2 to 8.21 ± 0.6 and from 9.31 ± 0.7 to 21.58 ± 1.2 Bq kg-1, respectively. The committed effective dose (CED) of 210Po in seafood varied from 31.18 to 456.68 µSv yr-1 (microSievert/year). Radiological hazard parameters, such as activity intake, CED in consumption, of the seafood from this coast are within the acceptable levels prescribed by the International Commission on Radiological Protection and US Environmental Protection Agency.

Hg and 210Po in consumed fish of the Tadjoura Gulf (Djibouti): Levels and human health risk assessment.

Hg and 210Po were measured in the muscle tissue of commercially important fish species collected in the main coastal cities of the Djiboutian coast (Tadjoura Gulf) to evaluate the potential risk associated with their consumption. The levels of Hg among the different species ranged from 0.02 to 1.69 mg/kg w.w and exceeded tolerable limits as reported by the national regulation (2000-0727/PR/MAEM) and the Codex Alimentarius. The probabilistic distributions of health hazard were evaluated through Monte-Carlo simulation, which confirmed the carcinogenic risk from Hg. The levels of 210Po ranged from 4.1 to 134.5 Bq/kg w.w among muscle tissues of the eight commercially important species. The carcinogenic risk was in an unacceptable range and simulation revealed that children were the most vulnerable population. The results obtained confirms that the health impact is reduced when consuming two servings per week.

Levels and Distributions of 210Pb and 210Po in Selected Seafood Samples in China and Assessment of Related Dose to Population.

In this study, the activity concentrations levels of 210Pb and 210Po in the edible portions of eight seafood samples collected from the Fujian coast of China were determined. The activity concentrations ranged from 0.74 ± 0.08 to 12.6 ± 1.0 Bq/kg for 210Po and from the minimum detectable limit (MDL, 0.80 Bq/kg) to 11. 7 ± 1.1 Bq/kg for 210Pb. The 210Po activity concentration in all the fish organs ranged from 0.68 to 204 Bq/kg (w.w.), and the 210Po activity was mainly concentrated in the stomach, spleen, heart, liver, gonad, and intestine samples. The 210Pb activity concentration in all the fish organs ranged from the MDL to 15.2 Bq/kg (w.w.), and the 210Pb activity was concentrated in the head, fish scale, and gill samples. The annual effective ingestion doses ranged from 82.8 to 255 µSv/a for all age groups, and the lifetime risk of cancers were estimated. Both the effective ingestion doses and cancer risk to humans were within the acceptable ranges.

Distribution and annual committed effective dose assessment of 210Po in popular marine species at the near-shore Binh Thuan province, Vietnam.

210Po concentration in thirty popular marine species (twenty five fishes, four bivalves and one crab) with different habitats, feeding types, and trophic levels at the near-shore Binh Thuan, Vietnam was analyzed using the alpha detectors. The 210Po activities were widely ranged from 3.07 ± 0.18 in a fish species (Bumpnose trevally) to 78.6 ± 5.3 Bq/kg w.w in a bivalve species (Green mussel) with the average value of 16.6 Bq/kg w.w. The results showed that the species with lower trophic level value have higher 210Po concentration. Regarding the feeding types, the 210Po concentration in the omnivorous species is about 2.9 times higher than in the carnivorous species. The species living in demersal zone accumulated a high 210Po in comparison with species living in reef-associated and pelagic-neritic zones. The calculated annual committed effective dose from 210Po due to the ingestion of seafood from demersal zone and bivalve species of the area was significant high.

Activity concentrations of 210Po and 210Pb in fish and mussels in Izmir, Turkey, and the related health risk assessment (dose assessment and pesticide levels) to the consumers.

The activity concentrations of natural radionuclides (210Po and 210Pb) and residual pesticide levels were determined from the fish (red mullet, common sole, anchovy, horse mackerel, gray mullet, and sardine) and mussel samples collected in Izmir Bay seasonally from October 2012 and July 2013. The 210Po and 210Pb concentrations varied between 5.7 ± 4.0 Bq kg-1 dry weight (dw) to 353.7 ± 45.0 Bq kg-1(dw) and 0.7 ± 0.2 Bq kg-1 (dw) to 4.3 ± 0.8 Bq kg-1 (dw), respectively. From a public health point of view, the fish and mussel collected from the Izmir Bay are not harmful to consumers.

Bioaccessibility assessment of stable elements and 210Po in food.

Element bioaccessibility consists of the fraction of the element that is mobilized from food matrices into digestive extractants. The degree of bioaccessibility of a toxic metal is a fundamental consideration in estimating its bioavailability. In addition, gaining a better understanding of the essential elements released into the gastro intestinal fluids allows a more thorough assessment of the health benefits of food matrices in the field of nutrition science. In the present study, an in vitro digestion model simulating gastro-intestinal digestion (GID) was used to investigate the bioaccessibility of stable elements in mixed leaf salad and 210Po in various foods (meat, seafood, vegetables). The simulation was carried out over three phases: after a pre-treatment with a saliva solution, raw and cooked seafood samples were subjected to a complete simulated gastrointestinal digestion (gastric digestion followed by bile-pancreas digestion). The 210Po bioaccessibility was found to range from 16.2±9.39% to 62.8±17.7% and from 6.26±2.15% to 67.5±13.1% for raw and cooked food respectively. Moreover, bioaccessibility could not be determined for As, Cd, Ce, Co, Cr, Hg, La, Pb, Sb, Sn, Te, Th, Tl, Ti, U. It proved to be poor (1-16%) for Al, Fe and S; fair (40-50%) for Cu, P, and Si; and high (>50%) for Ba, Ca, K, Mg, Mn, Ni, Rb, Sr, Zn. The results show that bioaccessibility varies according to the chemical form of the element in the food as well as the matrix composition.

Determination and distribution of 210Po in different morphological parts of tobacco plants and radiation dose assessment from cigarettes in Turkey.

Both sides of tobacco leaves accumulate 210Po through their sticky hairs (trichomes) by means of diffusive deposition. It is known that tobacco leaves may contain high amounts of 210Po concentrations. However, there is less information about radionuclides in tobacco plants. In the study, the 210Po concentrations were determined monthly in different morphological parts of tobacco plants (leaf, stem, root) and soil samples and soil-to-plant transfer factor for 210Po was determined and the activity concentrations of 210Po radionuclide in 16 different popular brands of cigarettes were investigated in order to estimate the annual effective doses of 210Po to smokers. Besides the study investigated (focused on) the correlation between the amount of rainfall and 210Po concentration of tobacco leaf. The results of the present study indicated that the activity concentration of 210Po in cigarettes distributed in Turkey ranged from 16.1 ± 1.0 to 37.6 ± 2.6 mBq per cigarette and the mean value of their activity concentrations was 22.4 ± 1.5 mBq per cigarette. The mean value of annual effective doses of 210Po to smokers (20 cigarettes smoked by an individual per day) obtained from these activity concentrations was estimated to be 188.5 ± 12.4 µSv y-1.

Assessment of the annual committed effective dose due to the 210Po ingestion from selected sea-food species in Vietnam.

Activity concentration of 210Po in the edible muscle tissues of twelve sea-food species (the most common marine food consumed of population in Vietnam) were analyzed using the PIPS detectors ORTEC Alpha-Ensemble spectrometer. The 210Po activity concentration in studied samples was found to vary from 0.82 ± 0.47 to 70.3 ± 8.5 Bq/kg fresh weight. The highest activity concentration was recorded for the Blood cockle (Anadara granosa) and the lowest for Silver pomfret (Pampus argenteus). The annual committed effective dose (CED) of 210Po to humans (the local residents) due to ingestion of each studied species was calculated from 18.5 to 1586 µSv/y. The average annual committed effective dose value was reported 394 µSv/y, which is marginally higher than the average CED contributed from ingestion of food and water total in global background (290 µSv/y).

Mercury and Po-210 in mollusc species in the island of Gökçeada in the north-eastern Aegean Sea: Bioaccumulation and risk assessment for human consumers.

Among the radioactive pollutants 210Po is the most substantial one in terms of seafood safety due to its efficient accumulation in marine animals and high irradiation of its alpha emission. Mercury is a highly toxic metal for both marine organisms and human beings. Biomagnification of MeHg (methylmercury) through marine food chains has made Hg concern of ecotoxicology and seafood safety. In the current study, the bioaccumulation of 210Po and THg (total mercury) were determined in 20 mollusc species, including 8 bivalves, 7 gastropods and 5 cephalopods collected from the island of Gökçeada in the north-eastern Aegean Sea. The highest accumulation of 210Po and Hg was seen in bivalves and cephalopods, respectively. Elevated Hg concentrations in all body parts (arms, mantle and viscera) were observed in octopus' species. The results of this study suggests that filter feeder bivalves and gastropods have a capacity to concentrate 210Po in their bodies, whereas predator gastropods and cephalopods have a capacity to concentrate Hg in their bodies. 7.0 kg (3.2-14.2) bivalve flesh intake is adequate due to 210Po ingestion in the studied region to reach 1 mSv which is the annual committed effective dose. Octopus consumption of 705 g in a week alone is needed to reach Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake (PTWI) of mercury, 5 µg kg-1 body weight. Due to very low non-fish seafood consumption in Turkey there is no risk of Hg intake and alpha radiation of 210Po above the limit values through mollusc consumption.

Assessment of loss of 210Po from fish and shrimp by cooking and its effect on dose estimates to humans ingesting seafood.

An experimental study was conducted to assess loss of 210Po due to cooking fresh seafood, and provide a more realistic and reliable dose estimate that humans may receive from consuming cooked seafood. Fresh fish and shrimp samples from Northern Gulf waters were grilled and boiled to simulate the effect of different cooking methods. Sixteen different species of fish were compared and significant differences in 210Po concentration in uncooked samples were observed between species (ANOVA I, F15,79 = 362.81, p < 0.0001). The effect of the treatment (uncooked, grilled, boiled and stock) was compared for each species and it was found that cooking led to a significant decrease in 210Po concentration ranging from 14 to 58% compared to the uncooked samples, with no difference between grilled or boiled treatments. The effect of the cooking and shrimp treatment on 210Po concentration was tested using ANOVA II after logarithmic transformation. Cooking led to a significant 38% reduction of 210Po concentration as compared to uncooked treatments with no difference between grilled and boiled samples (ANOVA I: F3,99 = 14.72, p < 0.0001). The two treatments with deveined shrimp led to a 75% decrease in 210Po concentration as compared to all other treatments. As a consequence, cooked deveined shrimp contained an 84% lower 210Po concentration than whole uncooked shrimp. As 210Po is known to be the major contributor to radiation dose in humans consuming seafood, based on the results obtained, it is evident there is a need to re-examine how committed effective doses (CEDs) are best calculated for seafood consuming populations considering that most populations consume fish and shellfish cooked.

Isotopes of 210Po and 210Pb in Hazel bolete (Leccinellum pseudoscabrum) - bioconcentration, distribution and related dose assessment.

The hazel bolete Leccinellum pseudoscabrum (Kallenb.) Miksík 2017 specimens and beneath soil layer (0-10 cm) have been examined on the occasion of 210Po and 210Pb activity concentrations, the nuclide bioaccumulation potential by species and distribution in fruit bodies. Mushrooms and forest soils came from six geographically distant locations in the northern and central parts of Poland. The threat to humans from 210Po and 210Pb contained in mushrooms has been also assessed. The absolute values of the 210Po radioactivity, respectively, in caps and stems of fruit bodies were in the range 0.74 ± 0.06-8.59 ± 0.36 Bq kg-1 dry biomass and from 0.81 ± 0.06-8.23 ± 0.37 Bq kg-1 dry biomass, while the values of the 210Pb radioactivity in caps and stems were in the range 0.61 ± 0.04-6.33 ± 0.22 Bq kg-1 dry biomass and 0.83 ± 0.04-4.59 ± 0.24 Bq kg-1 dry biomass, respectively. A potential related effective dose assessment showed that mushrooms L. pseudoscabrum can contribute at 0.89-10.3 µSv kg-1 db from 210Po decay and 0.42-4.37 µSv kg-1 db from 210Pb decay.