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Assessment of Radionuclide Concentrations in Tea Samples Cultivated in Chittagong Region, Bangladesh

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Assessment of Radionuclide Concentrations in Tea Samples Cultivated in Chittagong Region, Bangladesh ISSN: 0974-5335 IJLST (2018), 11(3):20-30 DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1625628 Assessment of Radionuclide Concentrations in Tea Samples Cultivated in Chittagong Region, Bangladesh Jannatul Ferdous1, Munmun Nahar Nipa2 and A.K.M. Rezaur Rahman3 1 Health Physics Division, Atomic Energy Centre, Dhaka, BANGLADESH 2 & 3 Department of Physics, University of Chittagong, BANGLADESH [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] Abstract: The purpose of the present study is to assess the activity concentration of radionuclides in tea samples which were cultivated in Chitttagong region in Bangladesh. Total thirteen (13) tea samples were collected from different tea garden of Fatickchari, Rangunia and Banshkhali upozilla in Chittagong. The activity concentrations of 238U, 232Th, 40K and 137Cs in thirteen tea samples were measured, using a gamma spectrometry system with multichannel analyzer. The observed activity concentrations of 238U found in tea samples varied from 2.4 ± 0.4 Bq.kg-1 to 18.93 ± 1.72 Bq.kg-1 with mean concentration 5.34 ± 0.38 Bq.kg-1. The observed activity concentration of 232Th found in the tea sample varied 1.4 ± 0.56 Bq.kg-1 to 27.22 ± 3.65 Bq.kg-1 with mean concentration 10.07± 0.83 Bq.kg-1. The 40K activity in these tea samples varied from 151 ± 18.72 Bq.kg-1 to 1243 ± 83.91 Bq.kg-1 with mean concentration 430 ± 35.5 Bq.kg-1. No 137Cs activity was detected at any of the samples in the whole study area. The calculated values of Radium equivalent activity (Raeq) and the internal hazard index (Hin) for the tea samples are lower than the international permissible value of unity UNSCEAR (2000). It was concluded that the activity level of tea samples in the present study was non-threatening to public health. Key words: Tea sample, Activity concentration, Gamma Spectrometry system, Radium equivalent activity (Raeq) and the internal hazard index (Hin). Introduction people. Tea has been one of the major Tea is one of the most popular beverages all exportable items of Bangladesh since 1971. over the world which is prepared from the Chittagong is the birthplace of the Bangladesh leaves of a shrub camellia sinensis. Green and tea industry. The tea is grown in the northern black teas are the two most popular types. and eastern districts, the highlands, temperate Drying and roasting the leaves produces climate, humidity and heavy rainfall within green tea, black tea is obtained after a these districts provide a favorable ground for fermentation process. Economic and social the production of high-quality tea. European interest in tea is clear from the fact that about traders established the first sub continental 18–20 billion tea cups are consumed daily in tea garden in the port city of Chittagong in the world [1]. Bangladesh is an important tea 1840, when plantations were set up beside the producing country. Its tea industry dates back Chittagong Club using Chinese tea plants to British rule, when the East India Company from the Calcutta Botanical Garden [2]. initiated the tea trade in Chittagong in 1840. The industry accounts for 3% of global tea The medicinal value of tea for prevention and production, and employs more than 4 million treatment of many health problems has International Journal of Life Sciences and Technology (2018), Volume 11, Issue 3, Page(s):20-30 20 ISSN: 0974-5335 IJLST (2018), 11(3):20-30 DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1625628 become more and more commonly known [3] objective of this study was to quantify the Tea contains flavonoids, minerals and trace presence of natural radionuclides i.e.238U, 232Th elements that are essential to human health. and 40K in tea samples cultivated in Environmental radiation originates from a Chittagong and to estimate the potential number of naturally occurring and man- biological hazards by calculating the radium made sources. The largest proportion of equivalent index, Raeq and hazard index, HI for human exposure to radiation comes from consumers. The obtained data could be used natural sources of external radiation, as the baseline for future reference. including cosmic and terrestrial radiation and from inhalation or ingestion of natural radioactive materials. The United Nations Materials and Method Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Area of Study: Radiation has estimated that exposure to A total number of 13 tea samples were natural sources contributes >70% of the collected from various tea gardens of three population radiation dose and the global different locations namely Fatickchari, average human exposure from natural Rangunia and Banshkhali upozilla in sources is 2.4 mSvy-1 (cosmic ray 0.4, Chittagong. All the samples were collected terrestrial gamma ray 0.5, radon 1.2, and food during 2017. The sampling stations are and drinking water 0.3[4]. Acute health located by the geographical position of effects of radiation, appearing with symptoms Latitude ranged over 22°02′55″N - 22°45'23'' of nausea vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, N and Longitude 91° 42' 57'' - 91°56′30″E. headache, anorexia leading to reduced blood Today Bangladesh has 163 commercial tea cell counts and in very severe cases to death, estates including many of the world’s largest occur at high doses of exposure of the whole working plantations [7] . Tea production in body or large part of the body. Therefore, Bangladesh is about 53million kgyear-1.There acute health effects of radiation are are 17 tea gardens are in Fatickchari Upazila. practically not a concern for continuously In Rangunia there are three tea gardens is monitored for radioactivity content–central situated. These are Agunia, Kodala and drinking water supplies. However, extreme Thandachhari tea garden. Chandpur-Belgaon situations of possible terrorist use of tea garden is situated in Banshkali. The Port radioactive materials to contaminate drinking of Chittagong is the largest international water supplies, theoretically, cannot be seaport on the Bay of Bengal and the excluded [5]. Environmental radionuclides are Chittagong Tea Auction sets the price of concentrated in tea leaves and consumption Bangladesh Tea. This is why the tea estates of of black tea as a beverage may contribute to Chittagong were chosen for this study. The an internal radiation dose[6]. Measurement of map of Chittagong district, Fatickchari, the concentrations of radionuclides present in Rangunia and Banshkali Upazila are shown black tea permits the assessment of the dose in fig-1. received by intake of this beverage. Radiation levels of the samples can be determined by a gamma spectrometer, equipped with a high- purity germanium detector. The main International Journal of Life Sciences and Technology (2018), Volume 11, Issue 3, Page(s):20-30 21 ISSN: 0974-5335 IJLST (2018), 11(3):20-30 DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1625628 Fatikchhari Rangunia Banshkhali Fig-1: Map of Chittagong district, Fatickchari, Rangunia and Banshkali Upazila Sample collection and preparation the detector. Plastic analysis containers had a In this study, total thirteen (13) tea samples 6.5 cm diameter and 7.5 cm height. Then were collected from different tea gardens samples were weighed using a high sensitive from three different areas namely Fatickchari, digital weighting balance and sealed with Rangunia and Banshkhali upazilla in paraflim to prevent the escape of radon gas. Chittagong to investigate the natural Samples were kept for 30 days for secular radioactive concentration using gamma equilibrium of 226Ra decay products before the spectrometry. After collecting the samples, measurements. Then each sample was each one was put in a plastic bag and given a measured and the values were given in Bq. kg- label to show its name. After collecting the 1 dry weight. samples, all the tea samples were brought into the laboratory. In order to remove moisture, Radioactivity Measurement tea samples were dried in a drying oven at To qualitatively identify the contents of 80°C until constant mass was obtained. The radionuclides in both regions soil sample and samples were ground and homogenized in the to quantitatively determine their activities, all laboratory. Adequate samples were put into prepared samples were measured by means cylindrical plastic analysis containers to of gamma-ray spectrometry system using reach a geometric homogeneity all around ORTEC high purity Ge-detector for 15000 sec. International Journal of Life Sciences and Technology (2018), Volume 11, Issue 3, Page(s):20-30 22 ISSN: 0974-5335 IJLST (2018), 11(3):20-30 DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1625628 The equal counting time for background and is due to the low relative gamma-ray sample measurement was chosen to minimize intensities following their decay. However, in the uncertainty in the net counts. The a state of secular equilibrium, the activity of spectrum of each sample was analyzed and 238U and 232Th can be estimated through the identification of unknown radionuclides several intensive gamma-ray lines of their was carried out by considering their peak daughter products in the decay chains. The centroid energies. The centroid energies of the activity concentrations of238U and 232Th were peaks from the spectrum were compared with determined from the average concentration of the reference gamma-ray energies obtained nuclides [Pb214 (295.2keV), Pb214 (351.9keV), from the literature. Before the measurements, Bi214 (609.3keV) and Bi214 (1120.2keV)] and energy calibration was done by using peaks [Pb212 (238.6keV), Tl208 (583.1keV), and Ac228 of 137Cs and 60Co radionuclides of the standard (911.2keV), Ac228 (968.9keV)] respectively. The point radioactive source. The number of activity concentrations of 40K were counts under the full-energy peak areas determined directly by measurement of the (corrected for background peak areas), the gamma-ray transitions at 1460.8keV.
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