Abstract
This paper focuses on a survey of uranium and thorium decay chain radionuclides in food and drinking water from the thorium-rich (monazite-bearing) region of Buena, which is located in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The radionuclide concentration values in the food and drinking water from Buena reached values higher than 100-fold the international reference values. The daily intake of radionuclides by the local population is similar to that of another high background radiation area in Brazil, but the intake is higher than that of residents from a normal background radiation area. Approximately 58 % of the food consumed by Buena inhabitants is produced locally. Based on that figure, locally produced food and the dilution of total radionuclides in the diet of residents caused by food importation are both highly relevant to a population’s intake of radionuclides. The concentration values for 210Pb and the radium isotopes in drinking water from Buena are among the highest values to be reported in the literature. 228Ra is the most important radionuclide ingested with both food and water among the inhabitants of Buena.
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Acknowledgments
We want to thank the referees for their comments, which led to many improvements in the paper. This research was partially supported by the Brazilian Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos-FINEP. We are very grateful to Maria Lucia Polônio for her assistance in diet issues; to all staff of the Environmental Sample Analysis Service of IRD for most of radionuclide determinations in foodstuffs; to Sheila M. Nascimento for the water radiochemical analysis; and to Laercio L. de Carvalho for his support during the water sampling. We also wish to thank the inhabitants of Buena.
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da Costa Lauria, D., Rochedo, E.R.R., Godoy, M.L.D.P. et al. Naturally occurring radionuclides in food and drinking water from a thorium-rich area. Radiat Environ Biophys 51, 367–374 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00411-012-0428-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00411-012-0428-7