Assessment of Transfer Factors for Natural Radionuclides and Radiocesium from Soil-to-Plant and Plant-to-Cow^s Milk on a Cattle Farm in Lembang Imam Ghazali Yasmint1,2, Abdul Waris2,3,4, Sidik Permana2,3,4, Eko Pudjadi5, Ismail Humolungo3, Deni Karsa Sondana4
1 Joint Doctoral Program for Sustainability Research, The University of Electro-communications, Tokyo, Japan
2 Department of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Bandung Institute of Technology Ganesha No. 10 Bandung, Indonesia, 40132
3 Department of Nuclear Science and Engineering, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Bandung Institute of Technology, Ganesha No. 10 Bandung, Indonesia, 40132
4 Department of Physics Teaching, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, Bandung Institute of Technology Ganesha No. 10 Bandung, Indonesia, 40132
5 Environmental Laboratory, Subs-section of Environmental Safety, Radioecology Section, Center for Technology of Safety and Radiation Metrology, National Nuclear Energy Agency of Indonesia, Lebak Bulus Raya No.49 Jakarta, Indonesia, 12440
Abstract
Besides nuclear reactors, humans are exposed to radiation from natural sources. Natural radioactivity in the environment originates from Uranium and Thorium Radionuclides exposure, typically found in the soil. The detection of radiocesium in the soil signifies the existence of residual byproducts resulting from nuclear reactor disasters and nuclear weapons experiments. Radionuclides present in the soil may enter a process known as soil-to-plant transfer, where they are transmitted to plants such as grass and vegetables. Cows and other animals commonly consume grass as their primary food source. The existence of radionuclides in the grass might indirectly impact human health when people consume meat and milk from these animals (via the transfer of radionuclides from plants to cow^s milk). Hence, it is necessary to conduct studies on soil, grass, and cow^s milk to determine the amount of natural radiation that enters the human body and to understand the transfer of radionuclides. Lembang, a sub-district in West Java Province, Indonesia, has emerged as the focal point for agricultural and veterinary education and research in the region. This study involved the collection of soil, grass, and cow^s milk samples from a cattle farm located in Lembang. Subsequently, the radioactive radiation was quantified with an ORTEC gamma spectrometer equipped with an HPGe detector. The radionuclides detected in this investigation were 226Ra, 232Th, 40K, and 137Cs. The activity concentration in soil is lower than the global average. The transfer factor obtained for soil-to-plant and plant-to-cow^s milk is consistent with the findings of prior research, which have demonstrated that 40K exhibits the highest transfer factor compared to other radionuclides. The absence of 137Cs in milk samples enabled the determination of its transmission mechanism solely from soil to plant.
