Committed effective dose to the Kuwaiti population via the dietary intake of red meat

Abstract

Meat is a major component of the daily diet of the Kuwait population. Realizing the negative consequences of the presence of radioactive materials in foodstuffs, various types of meat (fresh and processed lamb and beef) on sale in Kuwaiti markets have been assessed. The interest is in seeking to obtain a measure of the potential radiological impact to human health that results from their consumption. High purity germanium γ-ray spectrometry of the meat has revealed low activities of 226Ra and 228Ra, key indicators of the respective 238U and 232Th natural decay series. While elevated activities of 40K were observed in a number of the fresh meat samples, evidence of the anthropogenic radionuclide 137Cs was found in one sample only. A statistically significant difference was found between the mean value of activity concentration of 40K in fresh and processed beef samples. The total potassium concentration in the meat samples was calculated from observation of 40K activity, values ranging between 2.6 and 17.2 g kg−1. The annual effective dose resulting from meat consumption for a typical adult in Kuwait has been estimated to be 217 µSv y−1, somewhat less than the 290 µSv y −1 assessed by UNSCEAR (2008) to prevail more globally. Findings from this research are intended to underline the importance of periodic monitoring of foodstuffs in efforts towards mitigating radiological risk. Keywords: Processed and fresh meat, Gamma-ray spectrometry, NORM and artificial radionuclides, Committed effective dose, Radiological safety