Dose assessment for polonium-210 (Po-210) in New Zealand shellfish

Worldwide, Po-210 is an important contributor to human ionising radiation exposure through food. To characterise the ionising radiation dose for New Zealanders from Po-210 in shellfish, a dose assessment was undertaken. Deterministic and probabilistic dietary models were constructed by assigning shellfish consumption rates to Po-210 activity concentrations measured in shellfish. Modelling was undertaken for different shellfish consumer populations and geographical areas. Dietary modelling estimated an annual dose range from 4 μSv to 6070 μSv. The lowest dose was calculated for the overall shellfish consumer population residing in areas where baseline Po-210 activity concentrations were measured in shellfish. The highest dose was calculated for the high shellfish consumer population residing in areas where elevated activity concentrations were measured in shellfish. For the majority of the New Zealand population, the total estimated dose did not exceed the selected reference level of 1000 μSv, and Po-210 is therefore not a cause of concern. About 50% of high shellfish consumers residing in areas where shellfish had elevated Po-210 activity concentrations were exposed to ionising radiation resulting in an annual dose higher than 1000 μSv. Exposure assessment for different demographic groups identified that higher shellfish consumption rates in the population identifying as Māori lead to higher doses of ionising radiation for this group. •Po-210 in shellfish contributes considerably to the radiation dose to New Zealanders.•The ionising dose for Po-210 can vary greatly at a regional and demographic level.•Variation in radiation doses is an important consideration in radiation protection.