Radioactivity of long lived gamma emitters in rice consumed in Kuwait

A study of long-lived gamma emitting radionuclides in rice consumed in Kuwait was performed. The study targeted the natural radionuclides 238U, 232Th, and 40K, in addition to the anthropogenic radionuclide 137Cs. Annual effective doses from rice consumption were estimated to be 33 and 60 μSv for the adult and child age groups respectively. These values were found to be of several orders of magnitude less than the 0.29 mSv year−1 world average of the ingestion exposure from natural sources reported in the literature. Moreover, the anthropogenic radionuclide 137Cs was detected in one sample only, out of the 21 samples measured, with an activity concentration of 0.1 Bq kg−1. This small value is four orders of magnitude less than the guideline limit. Hence, rice consumption in Kuwait is radiologically safe for the presence of the investigated radionuclides.