Distribution and biokinetic analysis of 210Pb and 210Po in poultry due to ingestion of dicalcium phosphate

Detection of Polonium-210 in Environmental, Biological and Food Samples: A Review

Ingestion of polonium-210 from environmental media and food can cause serious health hazards (e.g., gastrointestinal symptoms, tumours, etc.) and has been a public health concern worldwide since the 2006 poisoning of Agent Litvinenko 210Po in Russia. With the development of uranium mining and applications of nuclear technology in recent decades, the radioactive hazards posed by 210Po to living organisms and the environment have become increasingly prominent. In order to strengthen the monitoring of environmental 210Po and protect both the environment and human health, a series of explorations on the methods of 210Po determination have been ongoing by researchers across the globe. However, previous reviews have focused on individual sample types and have not provided a comprehensive account of environmental, food, and biological samples that are closely related to human health. In this work, the sources, health hazards, chemical purification, and detection methods of trace 210Po in different sample types are systematically reviewed. In particular, the advantages and disadvantages of various pretreatment methods are compared, and relevant domestic and international standards are integrated, which puts forward a new direction for the subsequent establishment of rapid, simple, and efficient measurement methods.

Rapid determination of 210Pb and 210Po by sequential cloud point extraction for environmental monitoring

A new sequential cloud point extraction (CPE) procedure was developed and validated for the determination of ²¹⁰Pb and ²¹⁰Po by ICP-MS/MS and alpha spectrometry, respectively. Two distinct CPE systems using 4',4''(5'')-di-tert-butyldicyclohexano-18-crown-6 and N,N,N',N'-tetraoctyldiglycolamide as chelating agents were performed sequentially on the same sample. Method detection limits of 13 and 3.5 mBq L^-1, were achieved for ²¹⁰Pb and ²¹⁰Po, respectively. The sequential approach shows its outstanding versatility and proficiency to rapidly extract, detect, and quantify both radionuclides in various matrices for a wide range of activities.

Polonium-210 levels in different environmental samples

Polonium-210 is analysed in different samples which can be affected by the presence of a dicalcium phosphate plant (DCP). Particularly, it was determined in sludge samples from a drinking water treatment plant located downstream of the phosphate plant. From the obtained results, it was not possible to establish a correlation with the industrial activities carried out in the DCP plant since the measured activities were comparable to the reported in the literature for normal soils. This isotope was also monitored in different biota species (as mussels) taken also downstream of the DCP, and the potential risk of their ingestion by calculating the total effective doses was evaluated. As a result, it is important to highlight that the ingestion of these mussels does not constitute a risk for the population since the found doses were lower than the values published by UNSCEAR.

Radiolead (210)Pb and (210)Po/(210)Pb activity ratios in dogs' hair

The aim of this study was to determine activity concentrations of radiolead (210)Pb as well as (210)Po/(210)Pb activity ratios in dog hair. The objectives of this research were also to investigate the utility of domestic animal hair as a noninvasive indicator of metal exposure for radiotoxic, naturally occurring (210)Pb and find the correlations between (210)Pb concentration in hair and age, gender, hair type or diet of analyzed animals. The highest (210)Pb concentrations were measured in a 2-year-old Shih Tzus (9.82 ± 0.53 Bq kg(-1) dw(-1)) and a 2-year-old Bichon Maltese (8.09 ± 0.42 Bq kg(-1) dw(-1)), both longhair males, while the lowest was found in a 15-year-old Yorkshire Terrier (0.44 ± 0.02 Bq kg(-1) dw(-1)), small longhair male as well. As results showed, mainly dog hair color as well as their age and gender influenced the differences in the values of (210)Pb concentrations in analyzed hair samples. Also the values of activity ratios of (210)Po/(210)Pb in analyzed dog hair samples were calculated and obtained results were similar to those observed in human hair.

Polonium 210Po activities in human blood of patients with ischaemic heart disease from Gdańsk in Poland

The determination of polonium ²¹⁰Po in human blood samples is presented and discussed in this paper. The human blood samples were collected from patients of Medical University of Gdańsk with ischaemic heart disease (morbus ischaemicus cordis, MIC). The polonium concentrations in analyzed human blood samples are very differentiated. ²¹⁰Po is of particular interest in public health and although is present in the environment in extremely low amounts, it is easily bioaccumulated to the human body. The study shows that the amount of ²¹⁰Po that is incorporated into the human body depends on the food habits and some difference in its levels could be observed between smokers and non-smokers.