Activity concentration of natural radionuclides and assessment of the associated radiological hazards in the marine croaker (pseudotolitus typus) fish from two coastal areas of Nigeria

Abstract

The risk assessment associated with radionuclide contamination of Marine Croaker fish widely consumed in two coastal areas of Nigeria was carried out. The activity concentrations of the three radionuclides Uranium-238 (238U), Thorium-232 (232Th), and Potassium-40 (40K) present in the fish samples were determined using gamma-ray spectrometry. The radiological hazard of consuming this fish was assessed by calculating the radium equivalent activity (Raeq), internal hazard index (Hin) of the radionuclides as well as the ingestion effective dose values due to ingestion of radionuclides from fish per year. Comparison of the values obtained from the radiation hazard assessments with the maximum permissible levels of 370 Bq kg-1 for Raeq and 1 for Hin recommended by UNSCEAR (United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation) (UNSCEAR, 2000) shows that consumption of the contaminated Croaker fish from these two coastal areas studied poses great radiological hazards to the public.