Radioactivity in and committed effective dose from some Brazilian foodstuffs

Thirty-eight types of food including fruits, vegetables, cereals, and meat have been analyzed by gamma-ray spectrometry. Clove and black pepper were found to have the highest concentration of 137Cs. The annual intake of 40K, 228Ra, 226Ra, and 137Cs were found to be 14 kBq, 53.2 Bq, 17.5 Bq, and 3.2 Bq, respectively, taking into account the typical diet of São Paulo City, Brazil. The annual committed effective doses from these radionuclides for adults were estimated to be 87.4 microSv, 36.7 microSv, 4.9 microSv, and 0.04 microSv, respectively.