Radioactivity transfer factors and distribution of the natural and anthropogenic radionuclides in tea, plant and soil samples from the Black Sea Region in Turkey

Natural and anthropogenic radioactivity concentrations of the U-238, Th-232, K-40 and Cs-137 in tea, plant and soil samples collected from the Black Sea region in Turkey were measured using a high-resolution HPGe gamma-ray detector at the Environmental Radioactivity Measurement and Research Laboratory, Istanbul University. The radioisotope activity concentrations in tea and plant samples varied between the minimum detectable activity (MDA) up to 98.43 +/- 12.64 Bq kg(-1) for the U-238, from below the MDA to 5.23 +/- 2.33 Bq kg(-1) for the Th-232, from 282.19 +/- 6.76 to 784.55 +/- 15.67 Bq kg(-1) for the K-40 and from 0.5 +/- 0.11 to 43.23 +/- 0.86 Bq kg(-1) for the anthropogenic Cs-137. The activity concentrations of U-238, Th-232, K-40 and Cs-137 radionuclides in soils ranged from 24.75 +/- 0.96 to 125.41 +/- 13.35 Bq kg(-1); from 16.55 +/- 0.66 to 39.64 +/- 5.49 Bq kg(-1); from 340.91 +/- 8.86 to 663.92 +/- 12.62 Bq kg(-1;) and from 2.10 +/- 0.79 to 143.97 +/- 1.47 Bq kg(-1), respectively. The annual effective doses (AEDs) for all samples and transfer factors of those radionuclides from soil to tea and soil to plant were also calculated. The results were compared with studies from other places in the world. This work provides a baseline study for the determination of background radiation in the Black Sea region.