Radioactive ²¹⁰Po in magnesium supplements

The aim of this pioneer study was to determine polonium ²¹⁰Po in the most popular magnesium supplements in Poland and estimate the possible related dose assessment to the consumers. The analyzed magnesium pharmaceutics contained organic or inorganic magnesium compounds; some from natural sources. The objectives of this research were to investigate the naturally occurring ²¹⁰Po activity concentrations in magnesium supplements, find the correlations between ²¹⁰Po concentration in medicament and magnesium chemical form, and calculate the effective radiation dose connected to analyzed magnesium supplement consumption. The highest ²¹⁰Po activity concentrations were determined in mineral tablets made from sedimentary rocks, namely dolomite - 3.84 ± 0.15 mBq g^-1 (sample Mg17). The highest annual radiation dose from ²¹⁰Po taken with 1 tablet of magnesium supplement per day or with 400 mg of pure Mg daily would come from sample Mg17 (dolomite) - 1.35 ± 0.5 and 8.44 ± 0.33 μSv year^-1 respectively.