Uranium assay in milk
Lal, N.; Sharma, Y.P.; Sharma, P.K.; Talwar, I.M.; Nagpaul, K.K.; Chakarvarti, S.K.
Health Physics 43(3): 425-428
1982
ISSN/ISBN: 0017-9078 PMID: 7174338 Document Number: 192021
Samples of dried milk prepared by various milk plants situated in N. India and fresh milk samples collected from cows and buffaloes in the local region were assayed for uranium using a fission track etch technique. Uranium contents of dried milk ranged from 26 to 153 pg/g and, with one exception, values for dried skim milk did not differ from those for dried whole milk. For the fresh milk samples, variation was more than 20-fold. Av. values for uranium contents of buffaloes' and cows' milk were 0.078 and 0.09 micro g/l, resp. Assuming that a human being consumes 1 l milk daily for 60 yr, and that all uranium is retained in the body, it is calculated that the max. intake of uranium would be an order of magnitude lower than the max. permissible intake.