Determination of Radioactive Contamination

Determination of Radioactive Contamination
There are many sources of ionization radiation, including radionuclides, occurring
in the environment. Hence a certain degree of exposure is inevitable. Dangerous
contamination, however, may be the consequence of a nuclear accident. The
WHO, in close cooperation with several other international organizations, has de-
veloped guidelines in the event of a widespread contamination by radionuclides re-
sulting from major nuclear accidents. These publications emphasize that the
health risk, in general, due to radioactive contamination from naturally occurring
radio nuclides is not a real concern, but those arising from major nuclear accidents
such as the nuclear accident in Chernobyl, may be serious and depend on the spe-
cific radionuclide, the level of contamination, and the quantity of the contaminant
consumed. Taking into account the quantity of herbal medicine normally con-
sumed by an individual, they are unlikely to be a health risk. Therefore, at present,
no limits are proposed for radioactive contamination [60, 61, 65].