Radiological hazards in Finnish cereals: Comparison of man-made and natural sources

Turtiainen, T. and Kostiainen, E. (2013) Radiological hazards in Finnish cereals: Comparison of man-made and natural sources. Cereal Research Communications, 41 (3). pp. 366-375. ISSN 0133-3720

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Abstract

A survey on man-made (¹³⁷Cs and ⁹⁰Sr) and natural radionuclides (²³⁸U, ²³²Th, ²²⁸Ra, ²²⁶Ra) in cereal crops was conducted by collecting 66 cereal samples at 36 flour mills. This was the first time that natural radionuclides were included in such a survey in Finland. Based on the results new domestic reference concentrations for cereals were suggested: 2 mBq·kg⁻¹ for ²³⁸U and ²³²Th, 100 mBq·kg⁻¹ for ²²⁸Ra and 200 mBq·kg⁻¹ for ²²⁶Ra. The mean committed effective dose from ingestion of all radionuclides in cereal products was assessed as 30 μSv per year. Currently, the man-made radionuclides contribute only one percent to the total dose whereas in 1963 their proportion was about half and in 1987 about 20%, one year after the Chernobyl accident. Even so, the doses are very small and pose insignificant health risk to the consumers.

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