Uranium, polonium and thorium in infant formulas (powder milk) and assessment of a cumulative ingestion dose

It is well known that all food and foodstuffs contain naturally occurring radionuclides originating from uranium and thorium decay chains. Since a dose coefficient is always related to a specific radionuclide, it is therefore necessary to determine the activity concentrations of particular radionuclides when completing a radiological risk assessment. Dose coefficients, however, are age dependent, with the highest values being prescribed for infants. Due to the fact that the data on particular radionuclide content in infant formula are scarce, the aim of our research was their determination in infant formulas available on the Slovenian market. 238U, 234U, 230Th and 210Po activity concentrations were determined in five samples and dose assessment was carried out with dose coefficients listed in the IAEA International Basic Safety Standards (2014). The results obtained show that the main contributors to the estimated cumulative radiation dose (230 to 350 μSv y−1) is 210Po.