Natural and Artificial Radionuclides Present in Cuban Foodstuffs

The radioactivity to which we are exposed in our environment is a combination of natural radioactivity (coming from the cosmos, from the earth's crust or from our body) and the artificial radioactivity that results from human activities. Both radiations, natural and artificial, behave in the same way. The natural radioactive materials in the earth's crust are absorbed by plants and animals and dissolve in water. Therefore the food and beverages we eat contain varying amounts of radioactive isotopes. Among the natural radionuclides present in food, K-40, Ra-226, Ra-228 and the descendants of the latter two predominate. On the other hand, food can be contaminated with artificial radioactive materials as a result of nuclear weapons tests, nuclear or radiological accidents, among others. For this study, those foods of national production with the highest consumption in the country were selected, and representative of the following food groups: roots and tubers, grains, cereals, vegetables, fruits, meat and milk. The samples were collected directly in the markets, coming from different localities of the country. The treatment of the samples was carried out using a laboratory procedure. Specifically, the treatment performed on the matrices consisted of separating the clean edible part (eliminating adhering soil, shell, bones, etc.). The selected parts were washed in running water and allowed to dry on filter paper or absorbent towels. The edible portion of the sample was weighed and cut into fragments whose size was given by the measurement geometry (cylindrical bottle of 250mL volume).