Estimation of annual effective dose due to natural radioactivity in ingestion of vegetables from Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

In the present study, the activity concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in the selected vegetables collected from different locations of Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia were determined using high purity germanium detector (HPGe). The average activity concentration of 226Ra, 232Th and 40K in vegetable samples were found as 6.05 ±1.57, 4.91 ± 1.4 and 91.0 ±14.74 Bq kg−1(dry weight), respectively. The activity results indicated that the highest activity concentrations of these radionuclides were measured in root vegetables as 9.42, 7.57 and 112.23 Bq kg−1, respectively. The annual effective dose due to intake of these radionuclides through ingestion of vegetable samples was estimated to assess radiological risks. The average annual effective dose was found as 213.27 μ Sv y−1. The annual effective dose was found to be within the recommended values (250-400) μ Sv y−1 as given by WHO.