Radioactive residue in honey

Abstract

Th e concentration of radioactive isotopes in honey is an important bioindicator of environmental contamination. For that purpose, a total of 66 samples of diff erent types of honey (acacia, meadow, linden, sunfl ower, fl ower, oilseed rape, chestnut) were examined. Th e samples were collected during 2020 and 2021 at diff erent localities in the Republic of Serbia (Vojvodina, Central Serbia, Kosovo and Metohija). Gamma spectrometric analysis was used to determine natural radionuclides potassium-40 (40K), thorium-232 (232Th ), radium-226 (226Ra), uranium-238 (238U), uranium-235 (235U) and sodium-22 (22Na) and anthropogenic radionuclide caesium-137 (137Cs). Th e obtained results indicate that the predominant radionuclide in all the analyzed honey samples is natural K-40, whose average activity was 74 Bq/kg. Th e activity of other tested radionuclides ranged as follows: Th - 232: < 1 - 2.0; Ra-226: 1.9 - 15.6; U-238: < 1 - 31.4; U-235: < 0.2 - 1.61 and Na-22: < 0.2 - 2.4 Bq/kg. Th e activity of the artifi cial radionuclide Cs-137 was measured in 53% of the tested samples from the territory of Kosovo with the maximum value of 3.63 Bq/kg. Regarding the determined level of radioactive residues, it can be concluded that the honey produced in the Republic of Serbia is healthy and environmentally safe food.