Investigation of naturally occurring radionuclides in selected medicinal plants and associated soils, and calculation of soil-to-plant transfer factors

Madan Khanal; Arjun Acharya; Rajesh Maharjan; Devendra Raj Upadhyay; Saddam Husain Dhobi; Buddha Ram Shah; Rameshwar Adhikari; Deependra Das Mulmi; Tika Ram Lamichhane; Hari Prasad Lamichhane

doi:10.1016/j.jenvrad.2024.107556

Investigation of naturally occurring radionuclides in selected medicinal plants and associated soils, and calculation of soil-to-plant transfer factors

J Environ Radioact. 2024 Dec:280:107556. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2024.107556. Epub 2024 Oct 28.

Affiliations

¹ Central Department of Physics, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu 44600, Nepal.
² Physical Science Laboratory, Nepal Academy of Science and Technology, Lalitpur 44700, Nepal.
³ Central Department of Chemistry, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu 44600, Nepal; Research Center for Applied Science and Technology (RECAST), Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu 44600, Nepal.
⁴ Central Department of Physics, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu 44600, Nepal. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 39489993
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2024.107556

Abstract

This study investigated the activity concentrations of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K and their soil-to-plant transfer factors in some medicinal plants located in Nepal. The geometric mean values of soil-to-plant transfer factors (TFs) for ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, and ⁴⁰K were 0.37, 0.96, and 3.50, respectively. This indicated that medicinal plants absorbed the highest amount of ⁴⁰K from the soil, followed by ²³²Th, while ²²⁶Ra was absorbed the least. The average radium equivalent activities for medicinal plants (189 Bq/kg) and associated soils (182 Bq/kg) were within the international acceptable limit of 370 Bq/kg. According to the activity concentrations found in the medicinal plants, they do not present any radiological health hazards unless consumed in excessive quantities; however, continuous investigations are essential.

Keywords: Gamma spectroscopy; Medicinal plants; NaI(Tl) detector; Radioactivity; Transfer factor (TF).

MeSH terms

Nepal
Plants, Medicinal* / chemistry
Plants, Medicinal* / metabolism
Potassium Radioisotopes / analysis
Radiation Monitoring* / methods
Radium* / analysis
Soil / chemistry
Soil Pollutants, Radioactive* / analysis
Soil Pollutants, Radioactive* / metabolism
Thorium / analysis
Transfer Factor

Substances

Soil Pollutants, Radioactive
Radium
Thorium
Soil
Potassium Radioisotopes
Transfer Factor