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Activity Distribution and Uptake of Radionuclides in Medicinal Plants of Coastal Karnataka, India

Author Affiliations

  • 1Department of Physics, St. Philomena College, Puttur -574202, Karnataka, INDIA
  • 2University Science and Instrumentation Centre (USIC), Mangalore University, Mngalagangotri-574 199, Karnataka, INDIA

Res. J. Recent Sci., Volume 4, Issue (ISC-2014), Pages 101-109, (2015)

Abstract

Primordial Use of medicinal plants as therapeutic agents is an age-old practice. The detailed studies on the concentration of radionuclides in medicinal plants are sparse. The medicinal plants Justica adhatoda L., Careya arborea Roxb., Mimosa pudica L., Azadirachta indica A Jus. and Plectranthus amboinicus (Lour.)Spreng. are selected in the present study. These plants and soil samples from same location were analysed for activity concentrations of 226 Ra, 210Pb, 232Th, 40K and 137 Cs using gamma spectrometry. The activity concentrations of 226 Ra, 210 Pb, 232Th and 40K in plant samples vary in the range of BDL to 9.59 BqKg, 9.07 to 320.34BqKg -1, BDL to 6.40 BqKg -1 and 443.50 to 3401.29 BqKg -1 respectively. The concentration of 137Cs was found to be BDL for all the plant samples. Soil samples were analysed for the above listed radionuclides and the soil to plant transfer factors were also estimated. The transfer factors found to vary from BDL to 0.17 for 226 Ra, 0.12 to 3.73 for 210 Pb, BDL to 0.068 for 232Th and 2.94 to 28.66 for 40K. The detailed results and discussions are presented in this paper.

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