210Po Activity Concentrations in Cooked Marine Food

This work shows and discusses the 210Po activity levels in the most commonly consumed marine species by the population of Southern Spain. These determinations were made on both aliquots of raw edible materials as well as aliquots that had been prepared in the same way that they are consumed. The activity concentrations obtained in edible parts of cooked products varied by three orders of magnitude. Concentration factors for some species were as high as 104-105L/kg fresh weight. In some cases, there was a significant variation in the 210Po activity levels due to cooking. These concentrations are not comparable to those in unprocessed aliquots. This study is important because 210Po is the major contributor to radiation dose received by the populace by ingestion. It is particularly high in populations that consume a lot of marine products.