Indian Journal of Pure and Applied Physics

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A Comparison of the Concentration of Naturally Occurring Radionuclides in Organic and Conventional Staple Food


Affiliations
1 Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology, Patiala, Punjab 147 004, India
2 Dr BR Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar, Punjab 144 805, India
 

Fertilizers based on NPK are reported to have large concentrations of naturally occurring radionuclides. Hence, fertilizers usage can elevate the concentration of natural radioisotopes in soil and groundwater leading to a higher concentration of 40K, 238U and 232Th in crops grown in these fields. In the last few years, a surge is witnessed in organic farming methods due to consumer demand. In this study, the concentrations of 40K, 232Th and 226Ra are compared between organic and conventionally grown food crops. In total, 25 samples of organic and conventionally grown pulses and cereals were collected. The NaI(Tl) gamma-ray spectrometer was used for measuring naturally occurring radioisotopes in samples. The activity concentrations of 40K, 226Ra, and 232Th are almost same for both categories. The values of activity concentration of 226Ra and 232Th are well within the recommended limits but 40K activity concentration is higher than 400 Bq/kg in all the samples. The radium equivalent for all organic and conventional samples is below the reference value of 370 Bq/kg. The annual effective dose of children for 226Ra is higher than other age groups for wheat and rice samples but lower than the reference value of 2.4 mSv/year. The internal hazard index for all samples is less than 1 for both categories. All samples of both categories are safe for consumption as far as radionuclide concentrations are concerned. An elaborate investigation is advised for different food and drinking items to broaden the horizons.

Keywords

Organic Food, Comparison, Natural Radioactivity, Conventional Food.
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  • A Comparison of the Concentration of Naturally Occurring Radionuclides in Organic and Conventional Staple Food

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Authors

Beant Kaur Guron
Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology, Patiala, Punjab 147 004, India
Sunil Kalkal
Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology, Patiala, Punjab 147 004, India
Rohit Mehra
Dr BR Ambedkar National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar, Punjab 144 805, India

Abstract


Fertilizers based on NPK are reported to have large concentrations of naturally occurring radionuclides. Hence, fertilizers usage can elevate the concentration of natural radioisotopes in soil and groundwater leading to a higher concentration of 40K, 238U and 232Th in crops grown in these fields. In the last few years, a surge is witnessed in organic farming methods due to consumer demand. In this study, the concentrations of 40K, 232Th and 226Ra are compared between organic and conventionally grown food crops. In total, 25 samples of organic and conventionally grown pulses and cereals were collected. The NaI(Tl) gamma-ray spectrometer was used for measuring naturally occurring radioisotopes in samples. The activity concentrations of 40K, 226Ra, and 232Th are almost same for both categories. The values of activity concentration of 226Ra and 232Th are well within the recommended limits but 40K activity concentration is higher than 400 Bq/kg in all the samples. The radium equivalent for all organic and conventional samples is below the reference value of 370 Bq/kg. The annual effective dose of children for 226Ra is higher than other age groups for wheat and rice samples but lower than the reference value of 2.4 mSv/year. The internal hazard index for all samples is less than 1 for both categories. All samples of both categories are safe for consumption as far as radionuclide concentrations are concerned. An elaborate investigation is advised for different food and drinking items to broaden the horizons.

Keywords


Organic Food, Comparison, Natural Radioactivity, Conventional Food.

References