232Th, 238U, 40K, 137Cs radioactivity concentrations and 137Cs dose rate in Turkish market tea

In this study, the activity concentrations of 232Th, 238U, 40K and 137Cs were measured in 10 branded tea samples from local Turkish markets using gamma spectrometry with an HPGe detector. The mean activity concentrations of 232Th, 238U, 40K and 137Cs were found to be 2.7 ± 1.0, 0.9 ± 0.4, 501 ± 42 and 45.04 ± 2.6 Bq kg-1, respectively. The average annual effective 137Cs dose as a consequence of tea consumption was found to be 385 nSv for an adult person, which is not hazardous to public health. The correlation coefficient between 137Cs and 40K was found to be-0.82 in these samples. The present data were compared with those found in other studies.