A preliminary study on 226Ra, 232Th, 40K and 137Cs activity concentrations in vegetables and fruits frequently consumed by inhabitants of Elazığ Region, Turkey

Determining radioactivity levels in foodstuffs is of great importance for the protection of human health. In addition, the literature includes few studies related to this subject in Turkey. In this study, gamma spectroscopic system was used in order to measure 226Ra, 232Th, 40K and 137Cs activity concentrations in vegetables and fruits produced in Elazığ Region. The average activity concentrations in vegetables was calculated as 0.64 ± 0.26 Bq kg−1 for 226Ra, 0.65 ± 0.14 Bq kg−1 for 232Th, 13.98 ± 1.22 Bq kg−1 for 40K, and 0.54 ± 0.04 Bq kg−1 for 137Cs. The average activity concentrations in fruits were 1.52 ± 0.34, 0.98 ± 0.23, 18.66 ± 1.13 and 0.59 ± 0.16 Bq kg−1, respectively for 226Ra, 232Th, 40K and 137Cs. Total committed effective dose value was determined as 20 and 30.55 μSv y−1, respectively for vegetables and fruits. The findings were compared with previous data reported for Turkey and other regions of the world.