title: Assessment of doses and risk due to natural radionuclides in edible biota of Domiasiat, Meghalaya.
abstract: A radiation dose assessment exercise was carried out for the edible biota Solanum nigrum, Carica papaya, Raphnus sativum and Phaseolus domesticus due to naturally available radionuclides (40)K, (238)U and (232)Th in the Domiasiat area in Meghalaya, India. The concentration of radionuclides in biota and corresponding soil was measured by the NaI(Tl) detector having a minimum detection limit (efficiency, 32.4%) and machine counting time of 3000 s. The obtained transfer factor for (40)K was 0.3061, 0.7163, 0.1988 and 0.1279, for (232)Th 0.0003, 2.22E-05, 2.71E-05 and 3.45E-05 and for (238)U 1.46E-05, 9.73E-05, 1.46E-05 and 3.11E-05 (ratio) in each biota, respectively. The detailed physiological and morphological study of the biota was carried out. The point source dose distribution (source↔target) hypothesis was applied for the radiation absorbed fraction. The generated data were modelled using FASSET and obtained un-weighted total dose was 1.78E-04, 6.84E-03, 8.46E-03 and 1.73E-04 μGy h(-1), respectively, finally compared with the IAEA and UNSCEAR data set for screening level dose risk assessment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Environment Science (Permanent campus), North-Eastern Hill University Shillong, Meghalaya 793022, India. dhanidata2@yahoo.in
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Chaturvedi
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Jha
mesh_terms: D001417:Background Radiation; D058448:Biota; D005504:Food Analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007194:India; D010945:Plants, Edible / Q000737:chemistry*; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011834:Radiation Monitoring / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011868:Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D011868:Radioisotopes