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210Po and 210Pb content and radiation safety of worldwide tea brands
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1  Faculty of Chemistry, University of Gdańsk, Wita Stwosza 63, 80-308 Gdańsk, Poland
Academic Editor: Virgínia Cruz Fernandes

Abstract:

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.

Keywords: radionuclide, tea, food, effective dose, cancer risk

 
 
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