Characteristics and radiological hazard assessment of 210Po activity level in Dotted gizzard shad (Konosirus punctatus) from Quang Ninh province, Northern Vietnam

The natural radionuclide Po-210 accumulates readily in marine organisms and is a significant contributor to the radiological dose from consuming seafood. This study analyzed the Po-210 activity in thirty specimens of Dotted gizzard shad, a common and commercially important species of Clupeiform fish distributed in Quang Ninh province, Vietnam. The measurements were taken using an alpha spectrometer to measure the radionuclide from various tissues collected from each fish specimen. The highest activities of Po-210 were found in the liver and intestine, while the lowest activity was observed in muscle tissue. The trend of Po-210 activity in the different tissues was muscle < skin < stomach < gill < bone < intestine < liver, with mean values of 15.1 +/- 1.7, 39.6 +/- 9.6, 51.2 +/- 5.5, 58.2 +/- 7.2, 62.2 +/- 13.5, 241 +/- 18.7, and 346 +/- 30.5 Bq.kg(-1), respectively. There was an insignificant correlation between Po-210 activity in the muscle and the mass and size of the fish. The calculated annual effective dose for adults from consuming only the Dotted gizzard shad containing Po-210 exceeded the recommendation value (1 mSv.y(-1)) for all tissues except muscle. The concern for exceeding ingestion doses applies primarily to consumers who choose to eat the organs, including the gastrointestinal tract, of Dotted gizzard shad, assuming an annual consumption of 27 kg.y(-1) for each organ. Therefore, this study emphasizes that people should be advised not to consume the digestive organs of Dotted gizzard shad to avoid radiological risk.