Radioactivity measurements and dosimetric evaluation in meat of wild birds

The aim of this study was to determine the background activity concentration of natural radionuclides and ¹³⁷Cesium (Cs) in meat of 14 migratory birds originating from central and northern Europe. This meat is largely consumed by the Italian population. ⁴⁰K, ²¹⁰Pb, and ¹³⁷Cs were determined by gamma spectrometry and ²¹⁰Po by alpha spectrometry. The mean ⁴⁰K activity concentration detected was 490 ± 117 Bq/kg_dw. In all the samples, ²¹⁰Pb was below the limit of detection (LOD), and therefore it was not possible to calculate the ratio ²¹⁰Po/²¹⁰Pb. The ²¹⁰Po activity concentration ranged between 0.11 ± 0.02 Bq/kg_dw and 6.2 ± 0.93 Bq/kg_dw with a mean value of 1.03 ± 1.75 Bq/kg_dw. The ¹³⁷Cs activity concentration was not detectable or near LOD except in two samples with 45 ± 0.7 Bq/kg_dw (wood pigeon, from Italy) and 139.1 ± 1.9 Bq/kg_dw (woodcock, from Sweden). The effective dose of ²¹⁰Po ingested by consumption of wild birds meat accounts for only 0.01-0.6% of natural radiation exposure in Italy. These data indicate that the meat analyzed was safe.