Transfer of chlorine from the environment to agricultural foodstuffs

The factors governing chlorine transfer from Phaeozem and Greyzem soils to various important crop species (foodstuff and forage) were determined in natural conditions in the Kiev region of Ukraine. The stable chlorine concentration ratio (CR) values were the lowest in apple (0.5 +/- 0.3) and strawberry (2 +/- 1), higher in vegetables (5 +/- 3), seeds (15 +/- 7) and reached a maximum in straw (187 +/- 90). The average CR values of Cl-36 were estimated for the most important crops using all experimental data on Cl-36 and stable chlorine transfer into plants from various soils. It was experimentally shown that boiling potatoes in water leads to an equilibrium between Cl-36 specific content in the water and moisture in the cooked potato. The Cl-36 processing factor (PF) for boiling various foodstuffs is equal to the ratio of water mass in the cooked foodstuff to the total water mass (in the food and the decoction). Cl-36 PF for cereal flour can be estimated as 1. The Cl-36 processing factor for dairy products is equal to the ratio of residual water mass in the product to initial water mass in milk. At a Cl-36 specific activity in soil of 1 Bq kg(-1), the estimated annual dietary Cl-36 intake into human organism (adult man) is about 10 kBq. Sixty to seventy percent of the above amount will be taken in via milk and dairy products, 7-16% via meat, 14-16% via bread and bakery items and 8-12% via vegetables. The highest annual Cl-36 intake, 10.7 kBq, is predicted for 1-year-old children. The expected effective doses from annual Cl-36 intake are higher for younger age groups, increasing from 0.008 mSv in adults to 0.12 mSv in 1-year-old children. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.