Survey of Radioactive Caesium in Processed Foods of Japanese Apricot Marketed in Japan

Abstract

Since Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident, radioactive contamination in foods has been worried. Therefore, radioactivity concentrations of ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs in 100 processed foods of Japanese apricot marketed in Japan were measured by γ-ray spectrometry. Samples were bought from 2015 to 2016. ¹³⁴Cs was detected in 6 samples, and the concentrations of ¹³⁴Cs in them were in the range of 0.82 to 12 Bq/kg. ¹³⁷Cs was detected in 40 samples, and the concentrations of ¹³⁷Cs in them were in the range of 0.65 to 69 Bq/kg. The maximum total radioactivity of ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs in all samples was 81 Bq/kg, which was in an extract of Japanese apricot. The concentration in this sample was about four-fifths of the regulatory limit in common foods. The maximum total committed effective dose of ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs for adults by annually taking processed foods of Japanese apricot was estimated to be about 1.7 μSv.