Author(s)

E. B. Faweya^1*, M. J. Ayeni², J. Kayode²

¹Department of Physics, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria.
²Department of Plant Science, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria.

Activity concentrations of primordial radionuclides such as ⁴⁰K, ²²⁶Ra and ²³²Th were determined in edible mushrooms samples in Ekiti State Nigeria. The edible mushrooms collected are Termitomyces striatus, Psathyrella atroumbonata, Termitomyces robustus, Pleurotus tuber-regium and Pleurotus squarrosulus. The activity measurements were carried out by gamma spectrometry. The average concentrations of ⁴⁰K varied from 254.17 ± 46.78 to 416.07 ± 68.43 Bq·kg^-1, ²²⁶Ra concentrations varied from 2.68 ± 0.82 to 21.64 ± 7.23 Bq·kg^-1 and ²³²Th concentrations varied from 8.57 ± 3.25 to 10.98 ± 4.31 Bq·kg^-1. The concentrations were converted to effective dose. Effective doses calculated were found to be below maximum permissible levels. Therefore, no health risk is envisaged for those that normally consumed these mushrooms.

Mushrooms, Radioactivity, Gamma, Ekiti, Nigeria

Faweya, E. , Ayeni, M. and Kayode, J. (2015) Accumulation of Natural Radionuclides by Some Edible Wild Mushrooms in Ekiti State, Southwestern, Nigeria. World Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 5, 107-110. doi: 10.4236/wjnst.2015.52010.