Distribution of Ra-226, Th-232 and K-40 in soils and sugar cane crops at Corumbatai river basin, Sao Paulo State, Brazil

Autor(es)

da Conceicao, Fabiano Tomazini ^[1] ; Bonotto, Daniel Marcos ^[2] ; Jimenez-Rueda, Jairo Roberto ^[2] ; Frutuoso Roveda, Jose Arnaldo ^[1]

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] UNESP Sorocaba, Dept Engn Ambiental, BR-18087180 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] UNESP Rio Claro, IGCE, BR-13506900 Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: Applied Radiation and Isotopes; v. 67, n. 6, p. 1114-1120, JUN 2009.
• Citações Web of Science: 6

Resumo

The common use of phosphate fertilizers NPK and amendments in sugar cane crops in Brazilian agriculture may increase the (226)Ra, (232)Th and (40)K activity concentrations in soils and their availability for plants and human food chain. Thus, the main aim of this study was to evaluate the distribution of (226)Ra, (232)Th and (40)K in soils and sugar cane crops in the Corumbatai river basin, Sao Paulo State, Brazil. The gamma spectrometry was utilized to measure the (226)Ra, (232)Th and (40)K activity concentration in all samples. The soil-to-sugar cane transfer factors (TF) were quantified using the ratio between the radionuclide activity concentration in sugar cane and its activity concentration in soil. The results show that, although radionuclides incorporated in phosphate fertilizers and amendments are annually added in the sugar cane crops, if utilized in accordance with the recommended rates, their use does not lead to hazards levels in soils. The soil-to-sugar cane transfer of radionuclides occurred in the following order (40)K > (226)Ra > (232)Th. Therefore, under these conditions, radionuclides intake through consumption of sugar is not hazardous to human health. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 00/03136-0 - Comportamento geoquímico dos radioelementos em solos na Bacia do Rio Corumbataí (SP)
• Beneficiário: Fabiano Tomazini da Conceição
• Modalidade de apoio: Bolsas no Brasil - Doutorado