Radiation dose estimation due Pb-210 incorporation in inhabitants from Recife/PE, Brazil

Abstract

210Pb is an element widely distributed in the environment and when it is ingested by humans through air, water and food can cause various diseases including cancer because it is deposited in bones. Studies about assessment of the dose due to incorporation of 210Pb using the urine samples of volunteers from Recife are scarce. Thus, the purpose of this research was to estimate the radiation dose in bones of inhabitants from Recife (PE-Brazil) by incorporation of this radionuclide. For this, the concentration of 210Pb present in urine samples was determinate from 11 healthy and nonsmoker subjects. The urine samples were collected for a period of 24 hours following the procedures adopted by Instituto de Radioproteção e Dosimetria. Pb-210 was separated by ion exchange resin technique. In this method, the 210Pb was precipitated in form of PbCrO4 followed by beta counting, which were conducted in a Canberra Tennelec S5E detector. To estimate radiation dose in bones it was adopted values of retention and excretion of activity from IAEA-37. Concentrations of 210Pb in the urine samples of inhabitants from Recife varied from 82 to 712 mBq.l-1. The maximum annual dose estimated in bones for individuals from Recife was about 2.15 nSv.y-1. This value is below from the recommended dose limit for member of the general public, which corresponding to 1 mSv.a-1, representing a negligible risk for the population studied.