Polonium-210 and uranium were monitored in most consumed vegetables and fruits in Kuwait following two validated procedures (radiochemical separation and then measurements using alpha spectrometry). The highest ²¹⁰Po activity concentration was found in dates and bananas (111.4±25 and 107±16 mBq/kg respectively), while the lowest was monitored in green pepper (12 ± 2 mBq/kg). Uranium radioisotopes were below minimal detectable activity (0.25 Bq/kg). The importance of the study can be linked to the high local consumption of imported fruits and vegetables from different countries with different nuclear histories in addition to the fact that most Kuwaitis are being vegetarians nowadays. Conclusively, radiological data for natural alpha emitters have been established for fruits and vegetables in Kuwait, and they were found to agree with international similar data confirming their radiological safety. Future studies will be done determining gamma emitters in fruits and vegetables, in addition to the seafood analysis because it is the 1st source of ²¹⁰Po incorporation.

1. Natural and induced radioactivity in food, IAEA-TECDOC-1287, IAEA, Vienna, Austria, 2002.
   Retrieved from: https://www.iaea.org/publications/6291/natural-and-induced-radioactivity-in-food
   Retrieved on: Sep. 17, 2022
2. F. Carvalho et al., The Environmental Behaviour of Polonium, Tech. Rep. Series no. 484, IAEA, Vienna, Austria, 2017.
   Retrieved from: https://www.iaea.org/publications/10845/the-environmental-behaviour-of-polonium
   Retrieved on: Sep. 17, 2022
3. J. Alexander et al., “Uranium in foodstuffs, in particular mineral water,” EFSA J., vol. 7, no. 4, 1018, Apr. 2009.
   DOI: 10.2903/j.efsa.2009.1018
4. K. D. Arunachalam et al., “Ingestion of Polonium (²¹⁰Po) via dietary sources in high background radiation areas of south India,” Int. J. Radiat. Biol., vol. 90, no. 10, pp. 867 – 875, Oct. 2014.
   DOI: 10.3109/09553002.2014.922720
   PMid: 24844373
5. I. Louw, A. Faanhof, D. Kotze, “Determination of Polonium-210 in various foodstuffs after microwave digestion,” Radioprotection, vol. 44, no. 5, pp. 89 – 95, 2009.
   DOI: 10.1051/radiopro/20095022
6. S. Sdraulig, B. Orr, D. Urban, R. Tinker, Radiation doses from the average Australian diet, Tech. Rep. 181, ARPANSA, Melbourne, Australia, 2019.
   Retrieved from: https://www.arpansa.gov.au/sites/default/files/tr181.pdf
   Retrieved on: Sep. 17, 2022
7. L. Zikovsky, “Determination of uranium in food in Quebec by neutron activation analysis,” J. Radioanal. Nucl. Chem., vol. 267, no. 3, pp. 695 – 697, Mar. 2006.
   DOI: 10.1007/s10967-006-0106-9
8. F. Monroy-Guzmán, “Isolation of uranium by anionic exchange resins,” J. Chem. Chem. Eng., vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 90 – 95, 2016.
   DOI: 10.17265/1934-7375/2016.02.005
9. A Procedure for Determination of Po-210 in Water Samples by Alpha Spectrometry, IAEA/AQ/12, IAEA, Vienna, Austria, 2010.
   Retrieved from: https://www.iaea.org/publications/8200/a-procedure-for-determination-of-po-210-in-water-samples-by-alpha-spectrometry
   Retrieved on: Sep. 17, 2022
10. K. S. Din, “Determination of 210Po in various foodstuffs and its annual effective dose to inhabitants of Qena City, Egypt,” Sci. Total Environ., 2011, vol. 409, no. 24, pp. 5301 – 5304, Nov. 2011.
    DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2011.09.001
    PMid: 21959247