Consuming food containing radionuclides is particularly dangerous. If anyone ingests or inhales a radioactive particle, it continues to irradiate the body as long as it remains radioactive and stays in the body. However, studies on the radioactivity of consumable foods assume importance as it is necessary to estimate the ingestion dose to the public. Due to all this, the focus of this research was on determining the activity concentrations of 226 Ra, 40 K and 232 Th. Forty-nine samples in three categories of vegetables, cereals (rice, wheat, corn), and milk, were collected from local markets (city of Skopje) in the Republic of North Macedonia and they were analysed by using high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector to assess natural and artificial radioactivity. The average activity concentrations of 226 Ra, 40 K and 232 Th of the tested samples were 2.85±1.15, 2.48±0.85, and 80.64±5.45 Bq kg -1 , respectively. No artificial radionuclide was found in any of these samples. The average value of the radium equivalent activity in all samples was 12.56 Bq kg -1 , which was less than the maximum permitted value of 370 Bq kg -1 . The values of the external hazard indices for vegetables, cereals and milk samples vary with an average value of 0.11, which is less than one in all samples indicating the non-harmfulness of the samples. The mean activity concentrations of 226 Ra, 40 K and 232 Th (Bq kg -1 ) in the samples were used to calculate the absorbed dose rate whose mean value for all food samples was 6.16 Bq kg -1 . It was determined that the measured values are within the globally accepted values, i.e., they are quite lower than the data in literature. These data would be useful to establish a baseline for natural radioactivity concentrations in food products consumed in the Republic of North Macedonia.
The care of radioactivity level in animal feed is very important, as ingestion is one of the most common ways radionuclides enter living organisms. Thus, since humans consume products of animal origin (eggs and poultry, milk and beef), it is important to monitor radiation levels in animal feed, as part of the radioactivity that these animals are exposed to, could be transmitted to humans. Natural radionuclides such as 40K, 232Th and 226Ra find their way into the food chain from soil and air to plants and from plants to animals and humans as well. The goal of this study was to determine the activity concentrations of natural radionuclides in three commercial chicken feeds – starter, grower and finisher. The analyzes were performed by means of HPGe gamma spectrometry - gamma spectrometer (Canberra Packard) with a high-purity germanium detector. The obtained spectra from the measurement were analyzed by using the program GENIE 2000. Based on the performed tests, the mean values for the activity concentrations in the samples were the following 26.03±4.1 Bq kg-1 for 226Ra, 37.9±4.8 Bq kg-1 for 232Th, and 64.40±6.5 Bq kg-1 for 40K. The results obtained from the analyses of chicken feeds were compared to studies in other countries and it was found that 40K was present in the highest amount in all types of samples while the vales for the other natural radionuclides were within the nominal concentrations. Higher concentration of 40K can be associated with plants used in the production of animal feed, which were contaminated with fertilizer during their cultivation. The range of radionuclide concentrations in the samples was within the recommended values UNSCEAR.
Wheat is one of the world’s most commonly consumed cereal grains. It originates from a type of grass (Triticum) that is grown in countless varieties worldwide. Bread wheat or common wheat is a primary species. Several other closely related species include durum, spelt, emmer, einkorn, and Khorasan wheat. In addition to being a major source of starch and energy, wheat also provides substantial amounts of a number of components which are essential or beneficial for health, notably proteins, vitamins (notably B vitamins), dietary fibres, and phytochemicals. Wheat is a basic food product of Macedonian population. This study is mainly focused on measuring the concentration of radioactivity due to natural radioactive nuclides (226Ra, 232Th, 40K) in wheat grain samples, as well as on determining the quality of wheat used in daily diet. In addition, in this study we calculated radiation hazard indices (radium equivalent activity and internal hazard index) in the wheat sample. Average activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K in the wheat samples were 0.57±0.14; 0.39±0.11; 96.55±0.86 (Bq·kg-1), respectively. The radiation hazard indices were calculated for all samples in this study where mean values did not exceed safety limits, pointing out to negligible radiation hazard arising from terrestrial radionuclides that are naturally present in wheat. In terms of quality, we confirmed that all tested samples meet the requirements regarding quality in accordance with the laws in our country.
Milk is one of the most important food products in the human diet and contains all the macronutrients, that are, proteins, carbohydrates, fat, vitamins (A, D and B groups) and trace elements, especially calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc and selenium. Milk contamination is largely due to the grazing of animals on contaminated grass and drinking water. Grass is a direct source or route of radionuclides to animals and humans through the consumption of meat and milk. One of the important tasks of the veterinary activity is veterinary-sanitary supervision of the production and sale of milk and dairy products, whose main goal is the provision of biologically good milk and dairy products from healthy animals. The purpose of this study was to determine the activity concentrations of 226 Ra, 232 Th 40 K and 137 Cs in milk samples most commonly used in daily consumption in the Republic of North Macedonia and based on the results, the risk of radiation to the population can be estimated. An instrument -gamma spectrometer (Canberra Packard) with a high purity germanium detector and GENIE 2000 programme was used for measurement of the samples. On the basis of the performed tests, the main activity concentrations of 226 Ra, 232 Th, and 40 K were 1.76 ± 0.23; 1.05 ± 1.00; 31.9 ± 5.07 (Bq•kg -1 ), respectively. 40 K has the highest value compared to other radionuclides due to the process of transfer from soil to grass and from grass and water to milk. The activity of 137 Cs is below the detection limit for all tested milk types. This shows that there is no risk of radiation to the population, i.e., the safety limits are not exceeded, which points out the insignificant threat of radiation arising from radionuclides that are naturally or artificially present in the tested milk, and that reach humans through the food chain.
The goal of this study was focused on determination of the specific activity of 137 Cs in the samples of cultivated and uncultivated soil, as well as comparison with specific countries. The samples were taken from 14 locations in the surrounding of the city of Skopje. The spectral analysis of the radionuclides of these samples was conducted by applying a γ-ray spectrometer with high purity germanium (HPGe) detector with 30% relative efficiency. The data show that the specific activities of this radionuclide vary within a range of 6,04 Bq/kg (measured in Dracevo at a depth of 15 cm) to a maximal value of 21,87 Bq/kg (measured in Radisani at a depth of 5 cm) for cultivated land. The specific activities of this radionuclide vary within a range of 5,01 Bq/kg (measured in Radisani at a depth of 10-15 cm) to a maximal value of 19,05 Bq/kg (measured in Bardovci at a depth of 0-5 cm) for non-cultivated land. On the basis of the obtained results, an expressed variability is perceived regarding the specific activities of 137 Cs in the examined soil samples according to location and depth. The very research indicates that in both types of soil, the highest level of 137 Cs exists at a depth of 5 cm which is in accordance with the literature data. In the examined locations there is no need of special procedures for soil decontamination, however the familiarization with the methods related to the decrease of the radiological activity can be beneficial considering the fact that the soil is a part of the link soil-food-human.
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