Risk exposure in recycled agro-industrial waste: radioactive sources and potential effects

There is a growing interest in evaluating radionuclides of recycled waste materials due to the potential health risks associated with naturally occurring radioactive materials. This study investigated and evaluated the risk exposure in recycled agro-industrial wastes, often disposed of in landfills or lagoons but are increasingly used as building and construction materials. Datasets were sourced from relevant peer-reviewed articles. The activity concentrations (226Ra, 232Th, and 40K) of recycled agro-industrial waste were assessed, and other radioactive risk parameters were evaluated based on these values. The radiological parameters were analyzed using multivariate item techniques to identify similarities and correlations between the radioactive parameters. The results revealed that all agricultural byproducts met the permissible world average limits. However, all industrial byproducts exceeded these limits except for marble powder, pyrite ash, silica fume, steel slag, and waste glass powder. The Pearson correlation coefficients and factor analysis showed that the 40K isotope significantly influences the radionuclide activities of agricultural byproducts, accounting for 71.20% of the variability. The 232Th concentration significantly contributes to the radionuclide activities of industrial byproducts, with variability ranging from 50.20 to 58.20%. These findings provide a robust radiological safety framework for using agro-industrial byproducts and propose new techniques for reducing the radiological risks of industrial byproducts. The study also underscores the importance of assessing the radiation risks associated with the potential use of agro-industrial byproducts.