Lucas Faria da Silva

My research broadly investigates environmental radioactivity, with a dual focus on radioecology, particularly Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) in industrial contexts and the environment, and the radiological safety of food products and food science. The overarching goal is to assess potential radiological impacts, inform public health strategies, and support regulatory compliance. High-resolution gamma spectrometry is a primary analytical technique employed across my studies.

Food and Agriculture

My research also focuses on detecting and quantifying radioactivity in various food items, which is crucial for public health and international food trade. This includes:

Specific foodstuffs:
- Conducting radiological evaluations of Ra-226, Ra-228, and K-40 in tea samples, offering a comparative study of effective dose and cancer risk (10.1016/j.apradiso.2020.109326).
- Assessing committed effective dose and lifetime cancer risk from ingesting infant milk (formula) (10.1016/j.apradiso.2022.110468).
- Investigating radioactivity in cacao.
- Determining internal dose rates from the intake of uranium and thorium by fish from a dam reservoir associated with a uranium mine (10.1007/s00411-023-01051-2).
- Performing environmental impact assessments related to the intake of uranium contained in surface waters in a semi-arid region (10.1007/s11356-024-32671-w).
Broader food safety and trade
- Monitoring the safety of agricultural products to meet the standards of food trading, importing, and exporting entities. This involves certifying the presence or absence of specific radioactive elements in items like sugar, meat, and milk.

This research is vital for ensuring food safety and addressing public health concerns related to the potential detrimental effects of radioactivity in the food chain.

Figure - This cross-sectional view of a cacao (cocoa) pod was analyzed as part of a study on intra-plant radionuclide distribution. The research investigated how naturally occurring radionuclides (specifically ²²⁶Ra, ²²⁸Ra, and ⁴⁰K) are distributed across its different morphological structures—including the exocarp, mesocarp, endocarp, pulp, placenta, funiculi, and the cacao beans themselves—to understand accumulation patterns and their implications for dietary risk assessment and plant physiology.

Figure - Map shows how the amount of ⁴⁰K present in the soil varies across the state of Alagoas, a "natural radioactivity thermometer". Warm colors (yellow to red) indicate soils with greater radioactive activity (because they have more ⁴⁰K), while cool colors (green to blue) indicate soils with less.

Industrial and Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials

This area of my research centers on the assessment of NORM and anthropogenic radionuclides in various environmental matrices and industrial materials. NORM, present in the Earth's crust, includes elements like uranium and thorium, and their decay products (e.g., radium, radon), which can be concentrated by human activities. Key investigations include:

Building and construction materials
- Analyzing the natural radioactivity in sands used for civil construction in Rio de Janeiro to estimate external exposure doses (10.1016/j.apradiso.2023.111157).
- Assessing radiological hazards from natural radioactivity in cement used in dwellings in Rio de Janeiro (10.1016/j.apradiso.2024.111266).
- Conducting risk assessments related to natural radioactivity in stone dust and crushed stone commercialized in Rio de Janeiro (10.1016/j.apradiso.2024.111366).
- Performing radiometric analysis of Brazilian commercial ornamental stones, which can contain uranium and thorium ores (10.1016/j.apradiso.2023.111020).
- Investigating natural radionuclide distribution and radiological risk in Brazilian building finishes such as paints, varnishes, sealers, primers, and enamels (10.1016/j.radphyschem.2025.112609).
- Developing and implementing a new hazard index (IBRA) for Brazilian construction materials through radiometric analysis (10.1016/j.radphyschem.2024.112476).
Industrial NORM and environmental impact
- Analyzing NORM in samples from mining operations, as well as oil and natural gas exploration activities, including oil sludge, drilling fluids, fertilizers, and incrustations (oily residues from crude oil extraction).
- Studying products that expose the skin by absorption, using radiometric and simulation analysis with MCNP 6.3 (10.1016/j.radphyschem.2024.112756).
- Evaluating radioactivity in soils to understand background levels and potential contamination.

Practically all of my publications are at Google Scholar.

Figure - HPGe Spectrometer system

Figure - Subsea pipeline fouling samples