Polonium-210 in total diet: a case study from Kuwait

The activity concentrations of ²¹⁰Po have been determined in the most consumed Kuwaiti diet components including water and beverages. The total ²¹⁰Po annual intake has been calculated and was around 97.5 ± 4.1 Bq y⁻¹ with roughly equal contributions from fish and seafood, grains, beverages, and protein (20.5 ± 0.2, 18.7 ± 0.2, 18.1 ± 1.1, and 16.7 ± 1.0 Bq y⁻¹ sequentially). The annual intake of ²¹⁰Po was estimated by taking into account the loss of ²¹⁰Po during the cooking of seafood, tea making, and the preparation of leafy vegetable samples. The annual committed effective dose due to ingestion of ²¹⁰Po for the Kuwaiti adult population was 117 ± 5 µSv y⁻¹ which doesn’t pose a significant radiological risk.