Work

Natural radionuclide distribution in Brazilian foodstuffs and radiological dose assessment of coffee and fresh produce from Southeastern Brazil

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This study quantified the activity concentrations of 226 Ra, 228 Ra, 40 K, and the anthropogenic 137 Cs in coffee and fresh produce from Southeastern Brazil and assessed the associated ingestion dose to consumers. Seventeen coffee samples were collected in four municipalities representing distinct geological settings, Itatiaia and Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro state) and Poços de Caldas and Mariana (Minas Gerais state), while 27 fresh-produce items were collected in the three producing municipalities (Itatiaia, Poços de Caldas, and Mariana). Activity concentrations were determined by high-purity germanium (HPGe) gamma-ray spectrometry. Annual effective doses ( E ) and the excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) were calculated using consumption data from the Brazilian Household Budget Survey (IBGE) and dose coefficients from ICRP Publication 119. Coffee showed mean activity concentrations of 563 ± 26 Bq kg −1 ( 40 K), 3.7 ± 0.6 Bq kg −1 ( 228 Ra), and 1.4 ± 0.2 Bq kg −1 ( 226 Ra), with a mean annual effective dose of 3.2 × 10 −02 mSv yr −1 . Fresh produce exhibited marked regional variability, most notably for 228 Ra: carrots from Itatiaia reached 27 ± 1.9 Bq kg −1 , nearly an order of magnitude above those from Poços de Caldas (3.3 ± 0.5 Bq kg −1 ). 137 Cs was below the detection limit in all samples, indicating negligible anthropogenic contamination. All individual annual effective doses represented a negligible fraction of the 1 mSv yr −1 public dose criterion recommended by the ICRP. The highest individual values were observed for cassava from Mariana (1 × 10 −02 mSv yr −1 ), followed by banana and papaya (Mariana) and orange (Itatiaia) at 9 × 10 −03 mSv yr −1 each, and onion from Poços de Caldas (6 × 10 −03 mSv yr −1 ). Cumulative annual effective doses obtained by summing all analysed fresh-produce items were 5.9 × 10 −02 mSv yr −1 (Itatiaia), 2.2 × 10 −02 mSv yr −1 (Poços de Caldas), and 6.3 × 10 −02 mSv yr −1 (Mariana); combined with the mean coffee dose (3.2 × 10 −02 mSv yr −1 ), the total remained below 1.0 × 10 −01 mSv yr −1 (<10% of the criterion). ELCR values ranged from 4 × 10 −07 –4 × 10 −05 for individual fresh-produce items and from 7 × 10 −05 –2 × 10 −04 for coffee. For reference, the global average ingestion dose from natural radionuclides is approximately 0.29 mSv yr −1 (UNSCEAR 2000).

Source: Journal of Radiological Protection

DOI: 10.1088/1361-6498/aea0dc

Authors: Alessandro Mariano Domingues, Lucas Faria da Silva, Rogério de Andrade Filgueiras, Eveline Lopes Almeida, Ademir Xavier da Silva

Institutions: Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Universidade Federal Fluminense

Language: English

Topic: Radioactivity and Radon Measurements

Subfield: Radiological and Ultrasound Technology

Field: Health Professions

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Zero hunger

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,325