Assess the possibility of lead radioactive isotope accumulation in plant samples and the effective dose

In this study, the radioactive lead concentration in vegetable samples and the irradiation dose were estimated by the HPGe gamma spectrometer system. The results showed that, in spinach samples, the radioactive concentrations of lead isotopes were positively correlated with each other, with a correlation coefficient of 0.63–0.87. The concentration of radioactive lead in the vegetable samples was within the limits set by the UNSCEAR organization. The annual committed effective dose of 210 Pb accounts for more than 99 % of the total dose of lead radionuclides and is within the world average values of UNSCEAR. Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (AHC) method to cluster the ability to accumulate lead radioactive isotopes in vegetable samples is 3 group. Vegetarians have the highest annual committed effective dose among the studied groups. The gastrointestinal absorption from the daily diet into the bloodstream of 210 Pb is approximately 2.4 mBq d −1 . Therefore, vegetable samples from Ho Chi Minh City are safe for human consumption in the aspect of lead radionuclides.