查看文章

In addition to the presence of primordial radionuclides, inputs from technological progress together with nuclear technology proliferation have also contributed to the level of radioactivity in the soil. Due to the transfer of radionuclides in the chain soil-plant-human, notably via the ingestion pathway, it is important to assess the concentrations of radioactive materials in staple foodstuffs. Present study via HPGe γ-ray spectrometry was undertaken to measure the concentrations of ²²⁶Ra, ²²⁸Ra and ⁴⁰K in the more prominent staple Nigerian foodstuffs (rice, wheat, and millet). For ²²⁶Ra, ²²⁸Ra and ⁴⁰K, the activity concentrations (Bq/kg) in rice were in the respective range of 0.9–2.4, 0.5–2.4 and 78–326, while for wheat they were 1.3–5.1, 0.7–1.2 and 192–264, and for millet the range of 2.5–9.9, 0.8–1.9 and 186–197 in the same order. Overall, the measured data were found to be below the global average values of 67 …