Radioactivity concentrations of farmed and wild European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax L., 1758) in the eastern Mediterranean and risk assessment of their consumption

Specific natural radionuclide (226Ra, 232Th and 40K) concentrations of wild and farmed European seabass collected from the Mediterranean coast of Turkey were measured and the radiological risk associated with their consumption was assessed. Gamma spectrometric measurement of radionuclide activities in the samples were performed with HPGe detector and the radiological risk associated with their ingestion was calculated over per capita fish consumption in Turkey and the EU. It was observed that the mean concentration of radionuclides activities was 4.74 ± 0.53 Bq kg−1 and 1.13 ± 0.33 Bq kg−1 for 226Ra, 2.13 ± 0.18 Bq kg−1 and 1.91 ± 0.23 Bq Bq kg−1 for 232Th, 114.36 ± 2.86 Bq kg−1 and 132.99 ± 1.16 for 40K in wild and farmed seabass, respectively. The mean ingested annual radioactivity doses by wild and farmed seabass consumption were calculated as 0.71± 0.02 μSv y−1 and 0.82 ± 0.01 μSv y−1, respectively. From the radiological point of view, these radioactivity doses and the consumption of both wild and farmed seabass from the Mediterranean coast of Turkey do not pose any risk to the health of Turkish and EU people. •Natural radioactivity levels of wild and farmed European seabass from the Mediterranean coast of Turkey were determined for the first time.•Radioactivity levels of all samples were comparable with the worldwide average values.•Radioactivity doses by the consumption of European seabass was lower than 290 μSv y−1.•Consumption of European seebass does not pose any risk to human health.