Foodstuffs And Cancer: Analysis Of Radionuclides And Its Radiation Levels In Common Ghanaian Maize.

Abstract

By gamma spectroscopic measurement, content of natural and anthropogenic radionuclides and their activity levels were determined in selected common Ghanaian maize. The purpose was to establish whether these levels and subsequently their annual effective doses from the intake of these radionuclides were within the internationally acceptable limits. Six different maize varieties were collected, processed and data on each sample analyzed using a High Purity Germanium Detector. The activity levels and annual effective doses were calculated for the samples. The most significant radionuclides obtained from the analysis were; Potassium (⁴⁰K), Uranium (²³⁸U), Caesium (¹³⁴Cs), and Thorium (²³²Th). The average annual effective doses obtained from this study were 0.0039 mSv and 0.0012 mSv for dried and ashed samples respectively. This study concluded that the radionuclide activities and the annual effective doses were within acceptable standard levels and hence these Ghanaian maize varieties suitable for human consumption.