Sr-90 in various food and foodstuffs

Full text: Radioactivity in food and foodstuffs is a source of exposure that could significantly contribute to an increased internal dose of the population in cases of radiological emergencies, like nuclear accidents or radioactive discharges. Strontium-90 is an artificial radioactive isotope, produced by nuclear fission in nuclear energy plants and during the explosion of nuclear devices and weapons tests. Sr-90 is one of the most biologically hazardous radionuclides. After its introduction into the environment, it becomes incorporated into the calcium pool and the principal pathway followed to humans is from soil to plant to food. Drinking water and household water are potentially important pathways, directly or through their use in food preparation and processing. When entering the body, Sr-90 becomes distributed throughout the volume of the mineral bone, where it emits beta particles with a half-life of 28.8 years. It is therefore essential that the activity of Sr-90 in food and foodstuffs is controlled. This demands continuous surveillance to ensure that public safety targets and international commitments are met and ensure that the consumer and the environment are effectively protected. In this work we determined Sr-90 in milk, diary products, eggs, meat, fish, seafood, vegetables and potatoes. Special attention was paid to determination of Sr-90 in baby foods. Samples were collected in various regions and bought in shops in Slovenia. The strontium contents in various foodstuffs are in the range from 0.02 - 4.6 Bq kg-1. The results show that the samples of selected food and foodstuffs commercially available in Slovenia contain low activities of the artificial radionuclide Sr-90 compared to the maximum permitted levels of radioactive contamination laid down in EU regulations. (author)