title: Activity Concentrations and Dose Assessment of Gamma Emitting Radionuclides in Canned Tuna and Sardines Produced after the Fukushima Nuclear Accident.
abstract: The aim of the present work was to investigate the radioactivity concentrations of gamma emitting radionuclides in canned tuna and sardines that were produced after the Fukushima nuclear accident and to assess the resulting radiation doses to the public. Fifty-eight brands of canned tuna and sardines consumed in the Middle East and produced from different parts of the world were analyzed using a germanium detector. Cesium-137 (137Cs) was not detected above the minimum detectable activity in any of the samples. Natural radionuclides 40K, 226Ra and 228Ra were detected with wide activity concentration ranges and with average values of (in Bq kg(-1) wet weight): 68 ± 36, 0.31 ± 0.45, 0.34 ± 0.25, respectively, in tuna samples and with averages of 129 ± 67, 0.20 ± 0.33, 0.60 ± 0.31 in sardine samples. The results of the activity concentrations of 40K and 226Ra showed some regional dependence. Tuna samples produced in Europe have almost twice the concentration of 40K and half the concentration of 226Ra as compared to samples produced in either East or South Asia and North America. Moreover, sardine samples produced in North Africa and Europe have almost twice the concentrations of 40K and 226Ra as those produced in East or South Asia and North America. Dose assessment due to ingestion of canned seafood was also performed, and the committed effective dose was found to be well within the worldwide average.
authors.affiliation: *Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Yarmouk University, Irbid 211-63, Jordan; †Basic Sciences Department, College of Science and Health Professions, King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, P.O. Box 3660, Saudi Arabia; ‡King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), Nuclear Science Research Institute (NSRI), National Center for Nuclear Technology (NCNT), Radiological Monitoring Department, P.O. Box 6086, Riyadh 11442, Saudi Arabia; §Physics Department, Faculty of Science, Islamic University in Madinah, Al-Madinah, P.O. Box 170, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Zaid Q
authors.initials: ZQ
authors.lastname: Ababneh
authors.forename: Fahad I
authors.initials: FI
authors.lastname: Al-Masoud
authors.forename: Anas M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Ababneh
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001208:Asia; D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D005060:Europe; D005507:Food Contamination, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*; D062406:Fukushima Nuclear Accident; D005720:Gamma Rays; D009656:North America; D011197:Potassium Radioisotopes / Q000032:analysis*; D011829:Radiation Dosage; D011834:Radiation Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D011883:Radium / Q000032:analysis*; D017747:Seafood; D014413:Tuna
chemical_list: D002588:Cesium Radioisotopes; D011197:Potassium Radioisotopes; D011883:Radium