| Country | Region | 238U (mBq/day) |
| France | 12 | |
| West Germany | 30 | |
| USSR | Moscow | 45 |
| United Kingdom | 12 | |
| Japan | Sapporo | 18 |
| Kyoto | 18 | |
| Okayama | 11-60 | |
| United States | Chicago | 17 |
| New York, 1963 | 16 | |
| New York, 1978 | 15 | |
| San Francisco | 16 |
SOURCE: Harley, J. H., "Naturally Occurring Sources of Radioactive Contamination. Radionuclides in the Food Chain," in M. W. Carter, ed., International Life Sciences Institute Monographs, Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag 1988, Chapter 6, pp. 58-71.
Intake of Natural Uranium Isotopes in Diet, Water, and Air in
New York City
| Food Type | Consumption (kg/yr) | 238U (mBq/yr) | 234U (mBq/yr) | 235U (mBq/yr) |
| Annual | ||||
| Fresh vegetables | 48 | 1,142 | 1,128.0 | 58.0 |
| Canned vegetables | 22 | 92 | 99.0 | 2.6 |
| Root vegetables | 10 | 77 | 125.0 | 1.3 |
| Potatoes | 38 | 34 | 41.0 | 1.9 |
| Dry beans | 3 | 83 | 93.0 | 4.0 |
| Fresh fruit | 59 | 118 | 118.0 | 0.0 |
| Canned fruit | 11 | 11 | 29.0 | 0.2 |
| Fruit juice | 28 | 17 | 15.0 | 0.0 |
| Bakery products | 44 | 1,012 | 1,305.0 | 56.0 |
| Flour | 34 | 164 | 129.0 | 8.5 |
| Whole grain products | 11 | 187 | 277.0 | 11.0 |
| Macaroni | 3 | 11 | 11.0 | 0.3 |
| Rice | 3 | 9 | 7.5 | 0.5 |
| Meat | 79 | 184 | 145.0 | 1.3 |
| Poultry | 20 | 16 | 15.0 | 1.3 |
| Eggs | 15 | 28 | 15.0 | 0.5 |
| Fresh fish | 8 | 105 | 145.0 | 3.3 |
| Shellfish | 1 | 1,935 | 2,200.0 | 90.0 |
| Dairy products | 200 | 147 | 200.0 | 10.0 |
| Daily | ||||
| Dietary intake (mBq) | 14.700 | 16.800 | 0.6900 | |
| Water intake (mBq) | 1.220 | 1.460 | 0.0490 | |
| Inhalation intake (mBq) | 0.019 | 0.019 | 0.0007 | |
| Total intake (mBq) | 15.900 | 18.300 | 0.7400 |
SOURCE: Fisenne, I. M., P. M. Perry, K. M. Decker, and H. K. Keller, "The Daily Intake of 234,235,238U, 228,230,232Th, and 226,228Ra by New York City Residents," Health Phys, 53, 1987, pp. 357-363.
Daily Intake of 238U in 31 Locations in Japan During
1981a
| 238U µg/day | 238U µg/day | ||||||
| Location | Summer | Winter | Location | Summer | Winter | ||
| Sapporo | 1.06 | 2.94 | Osaka | 0.40 | 0.91 | ||
| Aomori | 1.23 | 0.54 | Hyoto | 0.75 | 0.65 | ||
| Miyagi | 0.55 | 0.93 | Wakayama | 0.56 | 0.45 | ||
| Akita | 0.70 | 0.34 | Tottori | 0.45 | 0.37 | ||
| Yamagata | 0.74 | 0.79 | Shimane | 1.01 | 0.54 | ||
| Fukushima | 0.70 | 0.49 | Okayama | 0.95 | 0.69 | ||
| Tokyo | 1.24 | 1.50 | Hiroshima | 1.38 | 0.32 | ||
| Kanagawa | 0.89 | 1.11 | Yamaguchi | 0.40 | 0.42 | ||
| Ibaraki | 0.87 | 0.84 | Ehime | 0.73 | 0.36 | ||
| Nagano | 0.70 | 0.52 | Kochi | 0.32 | 0.24 | ||
| Niigata | 1.21 | 0.47 | Fukuoka | 1.20 | 0.30 | ||
| Isihawa | 0.76 | 0.90 | Saga | 0.89 | 0.45 | ||
| Fukui | 0.89 | 0.60 | Nagasaki | 0.52 | 0.26 | ||
| Shizuoka | 0.63 | 0.50 | Kagoshima | 0.32 | 0.32 | ||
| Aichi | 1.28 | 0.87 | Okinawa | 0.91 | 0.87 | ||
| Kyoto | 1.12 | 0.98 | |||||
aThe mean for the areas tested was 0.72 ± 0.32.
SOURCE: BEIR IV, Health Risks of Radon and Other Internally Deposited Alpha Emitters, Committee on the Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation, National Research Council, Washington, D. C.: National Academy Press, 1988.