Natural radionuclide content in horticulture plants from former tin mining land and health risk assessment: A case study on Bangka Belitung Island, Indonesia

Abstract

As a tin producer in Indonesia, Bangka Belitung has abandoned tin mining land containing natural radionuclides, and its use for cultivating horticultural crops has health risks. The aim of the research was to determine the contribution of former tin mining land to natural radionuclide contamination in horticultural products and to assess the radiation hazards by determining the annual effective dose and excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR). The methodology includes sampling vegetables, fruit, and tubers from several villages in Bangka. Measurement of natural radionuclides using a Gamma Spectrometer at their specific energy. The research results showed that the radionuclides Ra-226, Th-232, K-40 were found in vegetables, fruit, and tubers samples. The highest Ra-226 was found in bitter melon and spinach, Th-232 in cassava leaves, spinach, and bitter melon, while K-40 in bitter melon, spinach, cassava leaves, papaya leaves, mustard greens. The activity rank of Ra-226, Th-232, and K-40 is shown in tubers > vegetables > fruit. The total annual effective dose (AED) from vegetable and fruit consumption is 0.6330 mSv/year, as recommended by UNSCEAR (1 mSv/year), except consumption of tubers (galangal). The ELCR value of vegetable, fruit, and cassava (tubers) consumption is 1.08x10-3; 0.75x10-3; and 0.42x10-3, as recommended by the ICRP.