Natural and artificial radioactivity determination of some medicinal plants.
Several medicinal plants used in Italy were analysed to determine natural and artificial radioactivity in those parts (leaves, fruits, seeds, roots, peduncles, flowers, barks, berries, thallus) used generally as remedies. The radionuclides were determined by alpha ((238)U, (210)Po) and gamma ((214)Pb-Bi, (210)Pb, (40)K and (137)Cs) spectrometry. (238)U ranged between <0.1 and 7.32 Bq kg(dry)(-1); (210)Po between <0.1 and 30.3 Bq kg(dry)(-1); (214)Pb-(214)Bi between <0.3 and 16.6 Bq kg(dry)(-1); (210)Pb between <3 and 58.3 Bq kg(dry)(-1); (40)K between 66.2 and 3582.0 Bq kg(dry)(-1); (137)Cs between <0.3 and 10.7 Bq kg(dry)(-1). The percentage of (210)Po extraction in infusion and decoction was also determined; the arithmetical mean value of percentage of (210)Po extraction resulted 20.7+/-7.5.
Institute of General Chemistry, Urbino University Carlo Bo, Piazza Rinascimento 6, 61029 Urbino, Italy. donatella.desideri@uniurb.it
Donatella
D
Desideri
Maria Assunta
MA
Meli
Carla
C
Roselli
D001417:Background Radiation; D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes / Q000378:metabolism; D007558:Italy; D007856:Lead Radioisotopes / Q000378:metabolism; D018514:Plant Structures / Q000378:metabolism; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000378:metabolism*; D011059:Polonium / Q000378:metabolism; D011197:Potassium Radioisotopes / Q000378:metabolism; D011834:Radiation Monitoring; D011848:Radioactive Pollutants / Q000378:metabolism*; D011868:Radioisotopes / Q000378:metabolism; D013051:Spectrometry, Gamma; D014501:Uranium / Q000378:metabolism
D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes; D007856:Lead Radioisotopes; D011197:Potassium Radioisotopes; D011848:Radioactive Pollutants; D011868:Radioisotopes; D014501:Uranium; D011059:Polonium