Revista de ciencia de la energía nuclear y tecnología de generación de energía

Concentrations of 222Rn, 226Ra, and 238U in Selected Tea and Coffee Samples from Iraqi Markets

Layth Yousif Jebur, Ali Jaafar Azeez, Ali Abdulhussein Hameed and Ali Abid Abojassim*

In the present research, natural radionuclides (²²²Rn, ²²⁶Ra, and ²³⁸U) concentrations were estimated in tea and coffee samples from different Iraqi markets. The measurements are done using LR-115 type 2 detectors. The Annual Average Internal Doses (AAIED), of these radionuclides, has also been calculated. The results show that the average of ²²²Rn, ²²⁶Ra and ²³⁸U concentrations in tea samples were 170 ± 28.62 Bq/m³, 0.639 ± 0.12 Bq/kg and 0.79 ± 0.15 ppm, and in coffee samples they were 215.27 ± 36.7 Bq/m3, 0.816 ± 0.12 Bq/kg) and 1.00 ± 0.15 ppm, respectively. The average values of total AAIED due to ingestion of ²²²Rn, ²²⁶Ra, and ²³⁸U in tea and coffee samples have been found to be 0.0194 ± 0.003 mSv/y and 0.0089±0.004 mSv/y respectively. According to T-test, it has been found that there is a confirmed non-significant probability (P>0.05) for radionuclide concentrations and a significant (p<0.05) for AAIED between coffee and tea samples statistically. All results of radionuclide concentrations, as well as AAIED, for tea and coffee samples were found to be below the recommended safety limits for the public consumption. The final conclusions are that the tea and coffee samples available in Iraqi markets are free of health risks.