https://doi.org/10.1140/epjs/s11734-025-01692-y
Review
Determination of activity concentration in different coffee samples consumed in Albania and their radiological risk in the human body
1
Department of Physics, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Tirana, Blv. Zogu I, Tirana, Albania
2
Institute of Applied Nuclear Physics, University of Tirana, P. O. Box 85, Str. Th. Filipeu, Tirana, Albania
Received:
1
July
2024
Accepted:
12
May
2025
Published online:
26
May
2025
In this paper, the levels of radioactivity were determined in 7 samples and 3 subsamples per each brand of instant coffee consumed in Albania, and the annual effective dose was estimated. The natural and artificial radionuclide in the soil can be taken up by the coffee plant; subsequently, they enter by ingestion into the human body through the consumption of coffee, and thus it is important to estimate radiological risk. Gamma-ray spectrometry and an HPGe detector were used to analyze and perform the measurements of coffee samples. The average values of activity concentration of 40K and 226Ra were found to be 577 ± 25 Bq kg−1 and 9.5 ± 0.5 Bq kg−1. The highest values of 232Th and 137Cs were found to be 1.6 ± 0.2 Bq kg−1 and 0.3 ± 0.1 Bq kg−1, respectively. The average value of the annual effective dose due to the consumption of coffee was found to be 28.6 μSv y−1. The annual effective dose in this study was lower than the average value by UNSCEAR reports and the recommended limit of 1 mSv y−1 by WHO and ICRP. Therefore, our results indicated that these types of coffee are safe for consumption with acceptable radiological risk, and none of them had any significant radiological impact on our health.
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Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
