Radiological risk assessment of cultivated edible plants in Rustenburg, South Africa

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2026年1月31日

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Peter Oluwadamilare Olagbaju,
Morohunfoluwa Adeola Olaoye,
Elizabeth Iyanuoluwa Olagbaju,
Oluwaseyi Akinlolu Jegede,
Oluwafumilayo Omotunde Alatise,
Sakirudeen Akinola Ishola

摘要

Due to the increasing world population, the global challenge of food security has led to the extensive use of agrochemicals to boost agricultural productivity. This, in addition to mining and industrial activities, has been reported to enhance environmental radioactivity, thereby posing a significant threat to human health. The presence of radionuclides in environmental media and their migration to food crops through soil and irrigation water has contributed significantly to internal radiation dose exposure. In this study, the levels of radionuclides in food crops grown in Rustenburg, one of South Africa's mining cities, are measured using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The average activity concentrations of naturally occurring radionuclides are found to be 1.32 ± 0.76 Bq/kg, 0.04 ± 0.02 Bq/kg and 14.06 ± 3.65 Bq/kg in wheat grain; 0.52 ± 0.11 Bq/kg, 0.17 ± 0.08 Bq/kg and 20.44 ± 2.48 Bq/kg in onion bulb; 0.48 ± 0.31 Bq/kg, 0.26 ± 0.18 Bq/kg and 22.37 ± 12.63 Bq/kg, in onion shoot; 1.43 ± 0.62 Bq/kg, 0.60 ± 0.10 Bq/kg and 29.82 ± 3.69 Bq/kg in beetroot bulb; 0.69 ± 0.77 Bq/kg, 0.24 ± 0.09 Bq/kg and 37.82 ± 2.36 Bq/kg in beetroot leaf; 0.25 ± 0.15 Bq/kg, 0.18 ± 0.11 Bq/kg and 28.84 ± 5.80 Bq/kg in leek shoot; 0.13 ± 0.18 Bq/kg, 0.14 ± 0.10 Bq/kg and 36.13 ± 3.65 Bq/kg in parsley leaf; 0.26 ± 0.09 Bq/kg, 0.07 ± 0.03 Bq/kg and 30.71 ± 5.07 Bq/kg in mint leaf and 0.08 ± 0.05 Bq/kg, 0.04 ± 0.02 Bq/kg and 32.97 ± 4.50 Bq/kg mint shoot, for ²³⁸U, ²³²Th and ⁴⁰ K respectively. The mean committed effective dose in edible plants is found to be below the reported levels of 290 µSv/yr for total dose, 120 µSv/yr for ²³⁸U and ²³²Th, and 170 µSv/yr for ⁴⁰ K, as reported by the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation. The lifetime cancer risks estimated from the consumption of edible plants are also found to be less than the International Commission on Radiological Protection reference value of 2.5 × 10^–3 for a public limit of 1 mSv/yr. These findings indicate that cultivated edible plants in the study area are safe for human consumption.