Radium-226 in Environmental Materials and Foods

Abstract

In the frame of the site radiation monitoring program at the Euratom Research Establishment at Ispra, Italy, the natural levels of 226Ra in some environmental materials and in the population diet have been studied. Determinations of the radionuclide have been carried out, by the emanation technique, on samples of vegetation, milk, animal bones, lake waters, fishes and foods, in an attempt to estimate the 226Ra intake by the population living in the area. Another purpose of this study was that of gaining information about the transfer of radium through the different environmental chains, and to compare the behaviour of radium with that of calcium. The mean 226Ra concentration in the soil is 0.72 pCi/g, and the estimated daily intake by a person consuming foods of local origin is 1.4 pCi of 226Ra, or 2.8 pCi/g Ca.