Assessment of radioactive elements in canned tuna marketed in Saudi Arabia after Fukushima accident

Abstract

In the current study, 32 brands of canned tuna that were purchased in supermarkets in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia were analysed to quantify the activity levels of 137Cs, 134Cs and 40K. These samples were processed in Japan, the Philippines, Thailand, Europe and the Middle East in 2011 and 2012. The samples were analysed using high-resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy. The highest activity concentrations of all three radionuclides were obtained in the samples that were processed in Japan in 2011 a few months after the Fukushima Daiichi accident. However, the activity concentrations of radiocaesium in all the samples in this study were far below the limit for food and beverages of 100 Bq/kg, which is the standard limit in the Japan.