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Kundu D, Dutta D, Joseph A, Jana A, Samanta P, Bhakta JN, Alreshidi MA. Safeguarding drinking water: A brief insight on characteristics, treatments and risk assessment of contamination. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2024; 196:180. [PMID: 38244090 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-024-12311-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/22/2024]
Abstract
Water pollution stands as a critical worldwide concern, bearing extensive repercussions that extend to human health and the natural ecosystem. The sources of water pollution can be diverse, arising from natural processes and human activities and the pollutants may range from chemical and biological agents to physical and radiological contaminants. The contamination of water disrupts the natural functioning of the system, leading to both immediate and prolonged health problems. Various technologies and procedures, ranging from conventional to advanced, have been developed to eliminate water impurities, with the choice depending on the type and level of contamination. Assessing risks is a crucial element in guaranteeing the safety of drinking water. Till now, research is continuing the removal of contaminates for the sake of supplying safe drinking water. The study examined physical, inorganic, organic, biological and radiological contaminants in drinking water. It looked at where these contaminants come from, their characteristics, the impact they have and successful methods used in real-world situations to clean the contaminated water. Risk assessment methodologies associated with the use of unsafe drinking water as future directives are also taken into consideration in the present study for the benefit of public concern. The manuscript introduces a comprehensive study on water pollution, focusing on assessing and mitigating risks associated with physical, inorganic, organic, biological and radiological contaminants in drinking water, with a novel emphasis on future directives and sustainable solutions for public safety.
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Affiliation(s)
- Debajyoti Kundu
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, School of Engineering and Sciences, SRM University-AP, Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh, 522 240, India.
| | - Deblina Dutta
- Department of Environmental Science and Engineering, School of Engineering and Sciences, SRM University-AP, Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh, 522 240, India.
| | - Anuja Joseph
- School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, Kharagpur, 721 302, India
| | - Ankan Jana
- Malaviya National Institute of Technology, Jaipur, Rajasthan, 302 017, India
| | - Palas Samanta
- Department of Environmental Science, Sukanta Mahavidyalaya, University of North Bengal, Dhupguri, Jalpaiguri, 735 210, India
| | - Jatindra Nath Bhakta
- Department of Ecological Studies & International Centre for Ecological Engineering, University of Kalyani, Kalyani, West Bengal, 741 235, India
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Hirose K, Povinec PP. Temporal changes of 137Cs concentrations in the Far Eastern Seas: partitioning of 137Cs between overlying waters and sediments. Sci Rep 2023; 13:22963. [PMID: 38151506 PMCID: PMC10752905 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49083-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Deep-ocean sediments, similarly to seawater, are important reservoirs of 137Cs, an anthropogenic radionuclide with a relatively long half-live found in the Earth system. To better understand the geochemical behaviour of 137Cs in the ocean, we examined the temporal changes of 137Cs activity concentrations in the overlying waters and in sediments from the Far Eastern Seas (Sea of Japan, SOJ, and Okhotsk Sea, OS) during the period of 1998-2021. The 137Cs activity levels showed exponential changes during the observed period. The decay-corrected change rates of 137Cs in deep waters of SOJ exhibited a slow increase, while 137Cs levels in seawater and sediment in OS decreased gradually. This reflects a topographical difference, as SOJ is a semi-closed sea, whereas OS receives continuously inflow of subarctic waters. It was confirmed that 137Cs released after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident was rapidly transported into the deep waters of the SOJ. To elucidate the transfer processes of 137Cs from seawater to sediment, we discussed the temporal changes of the partition coefficients (Kd) of 137Cs between the overlying water and the surface sediment. In shallow areas (< 1500 m water depth), Kd values were almost constant within the sampling periods, although the temporal changes in the Kd values occurred in deeper waters (> 2500 m depth). The Kd values increased with increasing depth, which may reflect a pressure effect as a possible mechanism. These findings suggest that chemical processes may be important factors controlling the transport of 137Cs between seawater and sediment, although more complicated phenomena occurred in deep waters and sediments of the SOJ (> 3000 m depth).
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Affiliation(s)
- Katsumi Hirose
- Laboratory for Environmental Research at Mount Fuji, Okubo, Shinjyuku-Ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Pavel P Povinec
- Department of Nuclear Physics and Biophysics, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia.
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Qiao J, Heldal HE, Steier P. Understanding source terms of anthropogenic uranium in the Arctic Ocean - First 236U and 233U dataset in Barents Sea sediments. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 847:157503. [PMID: 35872206 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.157503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Revised: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
This work reports the first dataset of 236U and 233U in sediment cores taken from the Barents Sea, with the aim to better understand the source terms of anthropogenic uranium in the Arctic region. Concentrations of 236U and 233U along with 137Cs, and 233U/236U atomic ratio were measured in six sediment profiles. The cumulative areal inventories of 236U and 233U obtained in this work are (3.50-12.7) × 1011 atom/m2 and (4.92-21.2) × 109 atom/m2, with averages values of (8.08 ± 2.93) × 1011 atom/m2 and (1.08 ± 0.56) × 1010 atom/m2, respectively. The total quantities of 236U and 233U deposited in the Barents Sea bottom sediments were estimated to be 507 ± 184 g and 7 ± 3 g, respectively, which are negligible compared to the total direct deposition of 236U (6000 g) and 233U (40-90 g) from global fallout in the Barents Sea. The integrated atomic ratios of 233U/236U ranging in (0.98-1.57) × 10-2 reflect the predominant global fallout signal of 236U in the Barents Sea sediments and the highest reactor-236U contribution accounts for 30 ± 14 % among the six sediment cores. The reactor-236U input in the Barents Sea sediments is most likely transported from the European reprocessing plants rather than related to any local radioactive contamination. These results provide better understanding on the source term of anthropogenic 236U in the Barents Sea, prompt the oceanic tracer application of 236U for studying the dynamics of the Atlantic-Arctic Ocean and associated climate changes. The 236U-233U benchmarked age-depth profiles seem to match reasonably well with the reported input function history of radioactive contamination in the Barents Sea, indicating the high potential of anthropogenic 236U-233U pair as a useful tool for sediment dating.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jixin Qiao
- Department of Environmental and Resource Engineering, Technical University of Denmark, DTU Risø Campus, DK-4000 Roskilde, Denmark.
| | - Hilde Elise Heldal
- Department of Contaminants and Biohazards, Institute of Marine Research, P.O.Box 1870 Nordnes, NO-5817 Bergen, Norway
| | - Peter Steier
- VERA Laboratory, Faculty of Physics - Isotope Research, University of Vienna, Währinger Straße 17, A-1090 Vienna, Austria
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Deng F, Lin F. Measurement of 90Sr in Marine Biological Samples. MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 27:molecules27123730. [PMID: 35744856 PMCID: PMC9227348 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27123730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Strontium-90 (90Sr) is one of the most hazardous radionuclides, and it contributes to radiation exposure by ingestion. The routine determination of 90Sr in marine biological samples is highly desirable given the development of the nuclear power industry. A fast, simple, and low-detection-limit method was developed for the measurement of 90Sr in marine biological samples based on determining 90Y by means of coprecipitation and solvent extraction with bis-2-ethylhexyl-phosphoric acid (HDEHP) in n-heptane. The interfering 210Bi is removed using Bi2S3 precipitation. The separation and purification of eight samples per day can be accomplished through this method. The detection limit of 90Sr for this method is 0.10 Bq/kg (ash weight). The radiochemical procedure was validated by fitting the decay curve of the sample source and by the determination of 90Sr standards.
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Kaeriyama H, Fujimoto K, Inoue M, Minakawa M. Radiocesium in Japan Sea associated with sinking particles from Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2020; 222:106348. [PMID: 32892904 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2020.106348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2020] [Revised: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 06/30/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
This study examined the temporal variations in radiocesium concentration associated with sinking particles in the northeastern Japan Sea between September 2010 and July 2012. We analyzed sediment trap samples from this period after the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident in March 2011. Cesium-134 was detected in samples collected between May and July 2011 at a depth of 1100 m (4.2-11 mBq g-dry-1) but not in other periods at 1100 m or deeper (3100 and 3500 m). These results confirmed the deposition of FDNPP-derived radiocesium on the surface water in the late April 2011, which rapidly sank with sinking particles to a depth of at least 1100 m, in the northeastern Japan Sea, about 40 days after the deposition in the North Pacific. If FDNPP-derived 137Cs was excluded, no seasonal changes were detected in the 137Cs activity concentration of the sinking particles, and the 137Cs activity concentration of the particles increased with increasing depth. Judging from the concentration of 137Cs of sinking particle and seasonal variation of total mass flux and organic matter content, the lithogenic particle seems to be important for radiocesium associated with sinking particles. These data also strongly suggest a difference in sinking features of particles between 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 deployments. Due to the existence of benthic front, shallow water (1100 m) and deep water (3500 m) are separated during 2010-2011 deployment, but in the winter of 2011-2012, this front disappeared and the particles in surface water seem to have sunk to the depth of 3100 m. The sinking velocity of the particles at 1100 m was estimated to be 33-62 m day-1, with a mean sinking velocity of 43 m day-1. These values were comparable to those estimated at depths shallower than 1000 m in the North Pacific after the FDNPP accident, or in the Mediterranean, North, and Black Seas after the Chernobyl accident.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hideki Kaeriyama
- National Research Institute of Fisheries Science, Fisheries Research and Education Agency, 2-12-4, Fukuura, Kanazawa, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 236-8648, Japan.
| | - Ken Fujimoto
- National Research Institute of Fisheries Science, Fisheries Research and Education Agency, 2-12-4, Fukuura, Kanazawa, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 236-8648, Japan
| | - Mutsuo Inoue
- Low Level Radioactivity Laboratory, Kanazawa University, Nomi, Ishikawa, 923-1224, Japan
| | - Masayuki Minakawa
- National Research Institute of Fisheries Science, Fisheries Research and Education Agency, 2-12-4, Fukuura, Kanazawa, Yokohama, Kanagawa, 236-8648, Japan
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Maderich V, Jung KT, Bezhenar R, de With G, Qiao F, Casacuberta N, Masque P, Kim YH. Dispersion and fate of ⁹⁰Sr in the Northwestern Pacific and adjacent seas: global fallout and the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2014; 494-495:261-271. [PMID: 25058893 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.06.136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2014] [Revised: 06/28/2014] [Accepted: 06/28/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The 3D compartment model POSEIDON-R was applied to the Northwestern Pacific and adjacent seas to simulate the transport and fate of (90)Sr in the period 1945-2010 and to perform a radiological assessment on the releases of (90)Sr due to the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear accident for the period 2011-2040. The contamination due to runoff of (90)Sr from terrestrial surfaces was taken into account using a generic predictive model. A dynamical food-chain model describes the transfer of (90)Sr to phytoplankton, zooplankton, molluscs, crustaceans, piscivorous and non-piscivorous fishes. Results of the simulations were compared with observation data on (90)Sr for the period 1955-2010 and the budget of (90)Sr activity was estimated. It was found that in the East China Sea and Yellow Sea the riverine influx was 1.5% of the ocean influx and it was important only locally. Calculated concentrations of (90)Sr in water, bottom sediment and marine organisms before and after the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident are in good agreement with available experimental measurements. The concentration of (90)Sr in seawater would return to the background levels within one year after leakages were stopped. The model predicts that the concentration of (90)Sr in fish after the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident shall return to the background concentrations only 2 years later due to the delay of the transfer throughout the food web and specific accumulation of (90)Sr. The contribution of (90)Sr to the maximal dose rate due to the FDNPP accident was three orders of magnitude less than that due to (137)Cs, and thus well below the maximum effective dose limits for the public.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Maderich
- Institute of Mathematical Machine and System Problems, Glushkov av., 42, Kiev 03187, Ukraine.
| | - K T Jung
- Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, 787, Haean-ro, Ansan 426-744, Republic of Korea.
| | - R Bezhenar
- Ukrainian Center of Water and Environmental Projects, Glushkov av., 42, Kiev 03187, Ukraine.
| | - G de With
- NRG, Utrechtseweg 310, 6800 ES Arnhem, The Netherlands.
| | - F Qiao
- First Institute of Oceanography, 6 Xianxialing Road, Qingdao 266061, China.
| | - N Casacuberta
- Laboratory of Ion Beam Physics, ETH-Zurich, Schafmattstrasse 20, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - P Masque
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals & Departament de Física, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain.
| | - Y H Kim
- Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, 787, Haean-ro, Ansan 426-744, Republic of Korea.
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Takata H, Tagami K, Aono T, Uchida S. Distribution coefficients (Kd) of strontium and significance of oxides and organic matter in controlling its partitioning in coastal regions of Japan. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2014; 490:979-986. [PMID: 24914527 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2014.05.101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2013] [Revised: 05/22/2014] [Accepted: 05/22/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in March 2011 resulted in the release of large quantities of a long-lived radioactive strontium (i.e. (90)Sr; half-life: 28.8 y) into the coastal areas of Japan. (90)Sr release was dispersed and mixed into the water column, and will eventually be deposited into sediment. Because factors controlling seawater-sediment partitioning in the coastal marine environments are not fully understood, we developed seawater-sediment distribution coefficients, Kd (L/kg), for Sr in coastal regions of Japan by means of sediment-water partitioning experiments. (85)Sr was used as a radiotracer and conditions were designed to mimic the environmental systems of the sampling sites as closely as possible. Experimentally determined Kd values (Kd-ex) varied between 0.3 and 3.3 L/kg (mean, 1.4 L/kg), and the variation in Kd-ex was attributed to the percentage of Sr in the exchangeable fraction in the sediment. Kd-ex values were used, along with the measured concentrations of (88)Sr, a stable naturally occurring Sr isotope in seawater and sediment, to estimate the concentrations of exchangeable Sr in the sediment. Estimates ranged from 2.1 to 24.3 μg/kg, or 1.3-15.7% of the total (88)Sr concentration in the sediment. Significant correlations existed between the estimated concentrations of exchangeable Sr, and the organic matter and the oxide/hydrous oxide contents. When organic contents were greater than 0.38%, Sr binds to organic surface sites more strongly than to the other sites. Results indicate that binding of Sr to the surface of sedimentary particles was influenced by grain size, iron and manganese oxides, and organic matter. Furthermore, the information presented here could be useful to estimate Kd values for anthropogenic (90)Sr in sediment in the coastal marine environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hyoe Takata
- National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Chiba City, Chiba, Japan.
| | - Keiko Tagami
- National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Chiba City, Chiba, Japan
| | - Tatsuo Aono
- National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Chiba City, Chiba, Japan
| | - Shigeo Uchida
- National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Chiba City, Chiba, Japan
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Maderich V, Bezhenar R, Heling R, de With G, Jung KT, Myoung JG, Cho YK, Qiao F, Robertson L. Regional long-term model of radioactivity dispersion and fate in the Northwestern Pacific and adjacent seas: application to the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2014; 131:4-18. [PMID: 24120972 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2013.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2013] [Revised: 07/19/2013] [Accepted: 09/23/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The compartment model POSEIDON-R was modified and applied to the Northwestern Pacific and adjacent seas to simulate the transport and fate of radioactivity in the period 1945-2010, and to perform a radiological assessment on the releases of radioactivity due to the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident for the period 2011-2040. The model predicts the dispersion of radioactivity in the water column and in sediments, the transfer of radionuclides throughout the marine food web, and subsequent doses to humans due to the consumption of marine products. A generic predictive dynamic food-chain model is used instead of the biological concentration factor (BCF) approach. The radionuclide uptake model for fish has as a central feature the accumulation of radionuclides in the target tissue. The three layer structure of the water column makes it possible to describe the vertical structure of radioactivity in deep waters. In total 175 compartments cover the Northwestern Pacific, the East China and Yellow Seas and the East/Japan Sea. The model was validated from (137)Cs data for the period 1945-2010. Calculated concentrations of (137)Cs in water, bottom sediments and marine organisms in the coastal compartment, before and after the accident, are in close agreement with measurements from the Japanese agencies. The agreement for water is achieved when an additional continuous flux of 3.6 TBq y(-1) is used for underground leakage of contaminated water from the Fukushima Dai-ichi NPP, during the three years following the accident. The dynamic food web model predicts that due to the delay of the transfer throughout the food web, the concentration of (137)Cs for piscivorous fishes returns to background level only in 2016. For the year 2011, the calculated individual dose rate for Fukushima Prefecture due to consumption of fishery products is 3.6 μSv y(-1). Following the Fukushima Dai-ichi accident the collective dose due to ingestion of marine products for Japan increased in 2011 by a factor of 6 in comparison with 2010.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Maderich
- Institute of Mathematical Machine and System Problems, Glushkov av., 42, Kiev 03187, Ukraine.
| | - R Bezhenar
- Ukrainian Center of Water and Environmental Projects, Glushkov av., 42, Kiev 03187, Ukraine.
| | - R Heling
- NRG, Utrechtseweg 310, 6800 ES Arnhem, The Netherlands
| | - G de With
- NRG, Utrechtseweg 310, 6800 ES Arnhem, The Netherlands.
| | - K T Jung
- Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, 787, Haean-ro, Ansan 426-744, Republic of Korea.
| | - J G Myoung
- Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, 787, Haean-ro, Ansan 426-744, Republic of Korea
| | - Y-K Cho
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Research Institute of Oceanography, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 151-741, Republic of Korea.
| | - F Qiao
- First Institute of Oceanography, 6 Xianxialing Road, Qingdao 266061, China.
| | - L Robertson
- Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, SE-601 76, Norrköping, Sweden.
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Otosaka S, Kobayashi T. Sedimentation and remobilization of radiocesium in the coastal area of Ibaraki, 70 km south of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2013; 185:5419-5433. [PMID: 23149839 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-012-2956-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2012] [Accepted: 10/15/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Sedimentation and remobilization processes of radiocesium were investigated from time-series observations at nine stations in the coastal area of Ibaraki, 70-110 km south of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (1FNPP). Sediment samples were collected four times between June 2011 and January 2012, and concentrations of radiocesium as well as sediment properties such as grain size and elemental compositions were analyzed. Cumulative inventory of (137)Cs in sediment (0-10 cm) ranged between 4 × 10(3) and 3 × 10(4) Bq/m(2) as of January 2012. This amount was generally higher at stations nearer 1FNPP and has remained at the same level since August 2011. From these results, it can be inferred that dissolved radiocesium advected southward from the region adjacent to the 1FNPP and was deposited to the sediment of the study area in the early stage after the accident. The incorporation of radiocesium into sediments was almost irreversible, and higher concentrations of (137)Cs were obtained from the finer-grained fraction of sediments. In the northern offshore stations, resuspension of the fine-grained sediments formed a high-turbidity layer 10-20 m above the seabed. These results indicate that radiocesium-enriched fine particles were transported from the coast to offshore regions through the bottom high-turbidity layer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shigeyoshi Otosaka
- Research Group for Environmental Science, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, Tokai-mura, Ibaraki, Japan.
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Petrinec B, Strok M, Franic Z, Smodis B, Pavicic-Hamer D. Radionuclides in the adriatic sea and related dose-rate assessment for marine biota. RADIATION PROTECTION DOSIMETRY 2012; 154:320-330. [PMID: 22927659 DOI: 10.1093/rpd/ncs234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Artificial and natural radionuclides were determined in the Adriatic Sea in the seawater and sediment samples in the period from 2007 to 2011. The sampling areas were coastal waters of Slovenia, Croatia and Albania, together with the deepest part of the Adriatic in South Adriatic Pit and Otranto strait. Sampling locations were chosen to take into account all major geological and geographical features of this part of the Adriatic Sea and possible coastal influences. After initial sample preparation steps, samples were measured by gamma-ray spectrometry. In the seawater ⁴⁰K activity concentrations were in the range from 6063 to 10519 Bq m⁻³, ¹³⁷Cs from 1.6 to 3.8 Bq m⁻³, ²²⁶Ra from 23 to 31 Bq m⁻³, ²²⁸Ra from 1 to 25 Bq m⁻³ and ²³⁸U from 64 to 490 Bq m⁻³. The results of sediment samples showed that ⁴⁰K was in the range from 87 to 593 Bq kg⁻¹, ¹³⁷Cs from 0.8 to 7.3 Bq kg⁻¹, ²²⁶Ra from 18 to 35 Bq kg⁻¹, ²²⁸Ra from 4 to 29 Bq kg⁻¹ and ²³⁸U from 14 to 120 Bq kg⁻¹. In addition, the ERICA Assessment Tool was used for the assessment of dose rates for reference marine organisms using the activity concentrations of the determined radionuclides in seawater. The assessment showed that for the most of the organisms, the dose rates were within the background levels, indicating that the determined values for seawater does not pose a significant risk for the most of marine biota. In the study, the results are critically discussed and compared with other similar studies worldwide. Generally, the activity concentrations of the examined radionuclides did not differ from those reported for the rest of the Mediterranean Sea.
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Affiliation(s)
- Branko Petrinec
- Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health, Ksaverska cesta 2, HR-10001 Zagreb, Croatia.
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Ababneh ZQ, Al-Omari H, Rasheed M, Al-Najjar T, Ababneh AM. Assessment of gamma-emitting radionuclides in sediment cores from the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea. RADIATION PROTECTION DOSIMETRY 2010; 141:289-298. [PMID: 20660078 DOI: 10.1093/rpd/ncq182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
The Gulf of Aqaba is the only seaport in Jordan which currently has intense activities such as industrial development, phosphate ore exportation, oil importation, shipping, commercial and sport fishing. Most of these activities, especially the phosphate ore exportation, could cause serious radiological effects to the marine environment. Thus, it is essential to investigate the level of the radioactivity concentrations to establish a baseline database, which is not available yet in the Gulf of Aqaba. Radioactivity concentrations of gamma-emitting radionuclides in core and beach sediments of the Gulf of Aqaba were investigated. Core sediments were collected from five representative locations for three different water column depths (5, 15 and 35 m). The results showed that the activity concentrations of 238U, 235U and 226Ra for both seafloor and beach sediments from the phosphate loading berth (PLB) location to be higher than those from other investigated locations and more than twice as high as the worldwide average; the 238U activity concentration was found to vary from 57 to 677 Bq kg(-1). The results also showed that there is little variation of radioactivity concentrations within the core length of 15 cm. The calculated mean values of the radium equivalent activity Ra(eq), the external hazard index, H(ex), the absorbed dose rate and the annual effective dose for the beach sediment in PLB location were 626 Bq kg(-1), 1.69, 263 nGy h(-1) and 614 µSv y(-1), respectively. These values are much higher than the recommended limits that impose potential health risks to the workers in this location. As for other studied locations, the corresponding values were far below the maximum recommended limit and lies within the worldwide range.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zaid Q Ababneh
- Physics Department, Yarmouk University, Irbid 211-63, Jordan
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12
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Behavior and distribution of 239+240Pu and 241Am in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia marine environment. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-010-0650-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Yii MW, Zaharudin A, Norfaizal M. Concentration of radiocaesium 137Cs and 134Cs in sediments of the Malaysian marine environment. Appl Radiat Isot 2007; 65:1389-95. [PMID: 17697782 DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2007.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2007] [Revised: 07/02/2007] [Accepted: 07/02/2007] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The concentrations of 137Cs and 134Cs in Malaysian marine sediments were measured by gamma-ray spectrometry with a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector connected to a multichannel analyzer. In general, the 137Cs concentration in Malaysian marine sediments has been found to be very low and less than 5 Bq/kg dry weight with the exception of those from a few sampling locations. The concentration of 134Cs was found to be less than the minimum detectable activity for the measuring condition used. Data reported in this paper were found to be comparable with results from within the region and thus can be used as reference data for the country.
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Affiliation(s)
- M W Yii
- Malaysian Nuclear Agency, Bangi, 43000 Kajang, Selangor, Malaysia.
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ITO T, OTOSAKA S, KAWAMURA H. Estimation of Total Amounts of Anthropogenic Radionuclides in the Japan Sea. J NUCL SCI TECHNOL 2007. [DOI: 10.1080/18811248.2007.9711329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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