COMPARATIVE STUDY OF RADIOLOGICAL HEALTH RISKS IN FLUTED PUMPKIN LEAVES CULTIVATED WITH AND WITHOUT INORGANIC FERTILIZERS

Abstract

This study investigates the activity concentrations of naturally occurring radionuclides in fluted pumpkin leaves and the corresponding farm soils, assessing the associated Annual Effective Dose (AED) and Excess Lifetime Cancer Risk (ELCR) for crops cultivated with and without inorganic fertilizers. Using a high-purity Germanium (HPGe) detector, radionuclide levels were measured in samples from various locations. For fluted pumpkin grown with inorganic fertilizers, AED values ranged from 0.398 to 0.707 μSv·yr⁻¹, with a mean of 0.517 μSv·yr⁻¹—below the ICRP recommended limit of 1 μSv·yr⁻¹. ELCR values for these samples ranged from 0.001053 to 0.001944, all below the 0.01 safety threshold. In contrast, fluted pumpkin cultivated without inorganic fertilizers showed higher AED values ranging from 0.400 to 1.088 μSv·yr⁻¹ (mean 0.677 μSv·yr⁻¹), with one site exceeding the recommended dose limit. Corresponding ELCR values ranged from 0.0011 to 0.001866, still below the recommended limit but generally higher than those for fertilized crops. These results suggest that the use of inorganic fertilizers may influence radionuclide uptake and reduce radiation exposure risks in fluted pumpkin cultivation. Overall, both cultivation methods pose low radiological health risks, though attention should be given to locations exceeding AED guidelines