²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb content and radiation safety of worldwide tea brands

Tea stands as one of the most widely enjoyed beverages globally. Given the escalating environmental pollution with toxic substances such as pesticides, metals, and radioactivity, it is crucial to conduct monitoring studies on the presence of radionuclides in the environment, especially when the EU Council Regulation 2016/52/Euratom systematized the emergency limits on radionuclides in foods, including ²¹⁰Po, the most critical radionuclides from the ingestion pathway. This study widely presents the content of radiotoxic radionuclides, the alpha emitter ²¹⁰Po and the beta emitter ²¹⁰Pb, in 141 different tea brands collected from 18 countries worldwide. The concentrations of ²¹⁰Po of analyzed teas ranged from 1.64±0.09 Bq∙kg^-1 in green tea from Columbia (Valle de Cauca), up to 59.5±1.60 Bq∙kg^-1 also in green tea but from China (Zhejiang). Similarly to ²¹⁰Po, the highest concentration of ²¹⁰Pb activity was observed in green tea from China (Jiangxi), at 72.2±2.74 Bq∙kg^-1, while the lowest in the leaves of the rooibos plant (Aspalathus linearis) from South Africa (Cedarberg), which ranged 0.46±0.04 Bq∙kg^-1. All ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb activity concentration values in examined teas are presented. The effective annual radiation doses and cancer risk resulting from consuming tea infusions were also calculated based on the measured activity concentrations. The research findings and outcomes highlight that consuming the investigated teas is safe from a radiological perspective.