Journal of Radiation Safety and Measurement

Journal of Radiation Safety and Measurement

Evaluation of lichens as a biological indicator for the detection of beryllium-7 produced from cosmic rays

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Hassan Ranjbar
Ali Yousefi
Iman Janjani
Nuclear Fuel Cycle Research School, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute, Tehran, Iran
10.22052/rsm.2024.254867.1061
Abstract
One of the constant worries and concerns in the issue of maintaining public health is the presence of radioactive elements in the environment and, naturally, in human and livestock food. One of these natural radioactive materials of cosmic origin is beryllium-7, which is produced by the interaction of cosmic rays with nitrogen and oxygen nuclei in the earth's atmosphere. Biological indicators are living organisms such as plants that uptake biological pollution such as radioactive and radioactive substances and have the possibility of detecting that pollution. The aim of this research is to evaluate lichen as a biological indicator for the detection of cosmogenic beryllium-7. For this purpose, using the gamma spectroscopy method equipped with HPGe detector, the amount of cosmogenic beryllium-7 radionuclide was measured in 15 lichens. The results of the measurements showed that the concentration of beryllium-7 radionuclide in the samples is in the range of 42.6 to 96.5 Bq with an average of 68.9 Bq. From the results, it can be concluded that lichen has the characteristics of a biological indicator for tracing beryllium-7 and can be used to monitor radioactive elements in the environment.
Keywords
cosmic rays
beryllium-7
bio-indicator
gamma spectrometry
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