The aim of this research was to determine (210)Pb concentrations in rocks and soils of farms located in the municipalities of Pedra and Venturosa. In these farms, rolled blocks of mafic rock with a high percentage of U(3)O(8) were found. The concentrations of (210)Pb varied from 3.2 to 201 kBq kg(-1) in rock samples and from 195 to 86,400 Bq kg(-1) in soil samples. The high levels of radioactivity found in the samples, indicate the need to conduct more detailed studies to evaluate the risk of radionuclide ingestion due to milk consumption by the population in the state of Pernambuco.
The lead (Pb) isotopes ²⁰⁶Pb and ²⁰⁸Pb are the final products of the radioactive decay of ²³⁸U and ²³²Th, respectively. Soils in the municipalities of Pedra and Venturosa, Brazil, present high levels of these radionuclides. We hypothesized that forage plants growing in these soils may take up high amounts of Pb and, consequently, intoxicate dairy cows. To test this, we quantified Pb concentrations in 23 forage samples from this region. Pb concentrations varied from 5 to 344 mg kg⁻¹. The highest values are one order of magnitude above the reported limit, therefore, indicating high risk of Pb contamination for dairy cows.
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