ABSTRACT
252Radionuclides, whether manmade or natural in origin, are present in the environment. These radioactive materials can contaminate food and can affect our health. Long-term consumption of radiological contaminated foods can damage DNA, resulting in the mutation of genes contained in the DNA and lead to cancer. When exposed, the degree of harm to human health depends on the type and the dose of radionuclides. It is also critical to know the radioactivity of the contaminated food. The common radionuclides found in food are the naturally occurring radionuclides such as Potassium-40, Uranium238, Radium-226, and their associated progeny. The manmade radionuclides can also be discharged into the environment following a major nuclear incident. Iodine-131 is an immediate concern since it’s distributed over a large area and rapidly transferred from contaminated feed into milk. Other radioisotopes that could be of long-term concern if released are Cesium-134, Cesium-137, Strontium-90, Strontium-89, and Plutonium. They can remain in the environment for a long time. Derived intervention levels as setting limits and the protective actions are used to determine the levels of radionuclides in human food and to reduce the amount of contamination.
