title: Nutritional and radiological impact of dietary potassium on the Pakistani population.
abstract: The nutritional status of dietary potassium and the radiological impact of its isotope (40)K were estimated for the Pakistani population. Potassium concentration was determined in dietary samples by atomic absorption spectrometry. An average potassium concentration was 4.54+/-0.89 mg/g, which leads to potassium dietary intake of 2.69+/-0.54 g/day and the radiological hazard due to (40)K activity was 79.94 Bq/day. The annual and lifetime effective doses calculated for the reference Pakistani man weighing 64 kg due to measured activity of (40)K were found to be 1.65 x 10(-4) Sv y(-1) and 8.27 x 10(-3) Sv, respectively. Measured data showed that the potassium concentration in the Pakistani diet is adequate and safe according to international standards.
authors.affiliation: Health Physics Division, Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, PO Nilore, Islamabad, Pakistan.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Akhter
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ashraf
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mohammad
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Orfi
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ahmad
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004032:Diet; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D010154:Pakistan; D011153:Population; D011197:Potassium Radioisotopes / Q000009:adverse effects; D017419:Potassium, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000032:analysis*; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D012449:Safety; D013054:Spectrophotometry, Atomic
chemical_list: D011197:Potassium Radioisotopes; D017419:Potassium, Dietary