Characterization of natural radioactivity and relative dose due to consumption of edible bivalves inhabiting the Cochin Backwater Lagoon, Kerala, southwestern coast of India.

The study on natural radionuclides in edible bivalves from the Cochin backwater lagoon, Kerala, employing alpha spectrometry, revealed higher concentrations of 210Po and 210Pb compared to 238U and 232Th. The annual committed effective dose (ACED) for the adult coastal population was calculated at a range of 1494.9 to 5783.4 µSv y-1, with 210Po being the predominant contributor, responsible for about 85 % of the dose. This highlighted significant health risks, underscored by a calculated cumulative mortality and morbidity risk range between 5.23 × 10-3 and 2.02 × 10-2. These findings emphasized the need for further research and the development of regulatory measures to mitigate exposure risks.

Radiological dose and associated risk due to 210Po in commercial inter-tidal bivalves of southwest (Arabian Sea) coast of India.

The activity concentration of 210Po was determined in edible tissues of commercial bivalves on the southwest coast of India. The 210Po activity ranged from 38.3 ± 6.9 Bq kg-1 to 91.2 ± 18.6 Bq kg-1. The annual committed effective dose (ACED) and lifetime carcinogenic risk (LCR) were calculated for different age groups to determine the potential health risk associated with bivalve consumption. The average ACED ranged from 81.5 to 194.1 µSv y-1, with the 10th and 95th percentiles being 68 and 261 µSv y-1, respectively. Lifelong mortality risk (LMTR) values ranged from 1.2 × 10-3 to 2.9 × 10-3, while lifetime morbidity risk (LMBR) values ranged from 1.9 × 10-6 to 4.9 × 10-6. The effective dose was found to be within the UNSCEAR limits.

Evaluation of the radiological dose due to 210Po in commercial clupeid fish collected in the near-shore environment of the high background natural radiation area (HBNRA) on the southwest coast of India.

In this study, we quantified the tissue concentration of 210Po in a variety of commercial sardine fish species of the family Clupeidae from an area of high background natural radiation area on the southwest coast of India. The smooth belly sardine Amblygaster leiogaster had the lowest 210Po concentration in its muscle (45.6 ± 7.9 Bq kg-1 fresh), while the goldstripe sardine Sardinella gibbosa had the highest (103.4 ± 10.1 Bq kg-1 fresh). The Annual Committed Effective Dose (ACED) of fried sardine and sardine curry were 134.3-304.3 µSv y-1 and 226.6-513.5 µSv y-1, respectively. Of the 210Po loss, 20 % was due to frying and 10 % to preparing sardine curry. The effective dose was found to be globally comparable and well below the world limit. Consumption of sardines containing 210Po would not pose a health hazard to the residents of Manavalakurchi.