Gamma-emitting radionuclides in the shallow marine sediments off the Sindh coast, Arabian Sea

Abstract

Determination of gamma emitting radionuclides in shallow marine sediments off the Sindh coast has been carried out using a gamma spectrometry technique. The activity concentration measured in various sediment samples off the Sindh coast has been found to vary from 15.93 +/- 5.22 to 30.53 +/- 4.70 Bq kg(-1) for 226Ra, from 11.72 +/- 1.22 to 33.94 +/- 1.86 Bq kg(-1) for 228Ra and from 295.22 +/- 32.83 to 748.47 +/- 28.75 Bq kg(-1) for 40K. The calculated mean values of radium equivalent activity, absorbed dose rate and effective dose are 98 Bq kg(-1), 49 nGy h(-1) and 0.06 mSv y(-1), respectively. No artificial radionuclide was detected in the samples measured from the study area. As no data on radioactivity of the coastal environment of Pakistan are available, the data presented here will serve as baseline information on radionuclide concentration in shallow sea sediments off the Sindh coast. The data will also be useful for tracking pollution inventories from unusual radiological events (if any) in the territorial waters of the study area. Further, the information presented will contribute to modelling of a regional radioactivity database from the perspectives of the International Atomic Energy Agency's Asia-Pacific Marine Radioactivity Database and Global Marine Radioactivity Database.

Assessments of radioactivity concentration of natural radionuclides and radiological hazard indices in sediment samples from the East coast of Tamilnadu, India with statistical approach

“…To address these problems, assessment of radioactivity concentration in the marine environment is essential. Natural radioactivity measurements in coastal sediments in different parts of the world were reported by many authors (Akram et al, 2006;Mohanty et al, 2004;Alatise et al, 2008;Amekudzie et al, 2011;Tari et al, 2013).…”

Assessment of natural radionuclide distribution in shore sediment samples collected from the North Dune beach, Henties Bay, Namibia

“…Part of the ground deposited activity is absorbed in the soils and percolates with the underground waters to the oceans. Radioactive materials reaching the ocean become part of the marine ecosystem (Akram, Riffat, Qureshi, & Solaija, 2006). The NORMs present in soil and sediment include 238 U, 232 Th and 40 K. Gamma radiation emitted from these radioisotopes, also referred to as terrestrial background radiation, constitutes the main source of irradiation to human populations (Mulwa, Maina, & Patel, 2013).…”

Factors Controlling Natural Radionuclides Migration in Sedimentary Rock Samples, Gabal Um‐Hamd, Southwestern Sinai, Egypt

“…In order to compare the health effects from the radioactivity of the earth's surface materials containing 226 Ra, 232 Th, and 40 K are assessed through conversion of the radionuclides activity into a single quantity . The most widely used radiological and hazard parameters include the radium equivalent activity ( Ra eq ), the dose rate ( D ), and the annual effective dose rate , ,…”