Gross alpha and beta radioactivity concentration in water, soil and sediment of the Bendimahi River and Van Lake (Turkey)

Abstract

The concentrations of the natural radioactivity in water, soil and sediment samples collected from Bendimahi River which originates near the Tendürek Mountain (Van, Turkey), its tributaries and Van Lake (Turkey) were measured. The gross-alpha and gross-beta radioactivity concentrations were investigated in May and August in 2005. Determination of the gross-alpha and gross-beta radioactivity of river water, soil and sediment samples was obtained by using gas-flow proportional counter, PIC-MPC 9604-alpha/beta counter. In water samples, the obtained results show that in May; gross-alpha and gross-beta activity concentrations varied between 0.063-0.782 and 0.021-0.816 Bq l(-1) and in August the values were 0.009-0.037 and 0.081-3.116 Bq l(-1), respectively. The gross-alpha and gross-beta activity concentrations in soil samples ranged from 0.800 to 4.277 Bq g(-1) and 0.951 to 11.773 Bq g(-1) in May and 0.686 to 4.713 Bq g(-1) and 0.073 to 9.524 Bq g(-1) in August, respectively. Concentrations ranging from 0.782 to 4.596 Bq g(-1) and from 0.482 to 10.372 Bq g(-1) in May and from 0.580 to 5.824 Bq g(-1) and from 0.303 to 9.702 Bq g(-1) in August for gross-alpha and gross-beta radioactivity were observed in sediments, respectively.

238U and total radioactivity in drinking waters in Van province, Turkey

“…The accident at Chernobyl (26 April 1986) released a huge amount of radionuclides into the environment. Radionuclides including plutonium, iodine, strontium and caesium were scattered over a wide area after the Chernobyl explosion [3]. Therefore, in some stations, high the total β activity concentrations were observed.…”

“…241 Am (3.78 kBq) and 90 Sr (3.76 kBq) were used to calibrate the system for α and β energies, respectively. The mean counting efficiencies for the system are found to be 33-40 % for α and 95-98 % for β concentrations [3].…”

“…The counting time was 1000 and 100 min for total α and total β, respectively. Each sample was counted three times in a row, and the results were given as arithmetic mean with the statistical errors [3]. If the net activity concentration is less than the calculated uncertainty, this is called not detected (ND) or under detection limit (DL).…”

“…However, precipitation and flooding erode radionuclides on surface soils which reach surface waters [3]. The waters eroding the rocks and soils leach off natural radionuclides from the rocks, soils and agricultural areas together with rainwater.…”

Human health risk assessment of environmental and dietary exposure to natural radionuclides in the Catalan stretch of the Ebro River, Spain

“…Mean gross alpha and beta activities in the main course were found to be 0.095 and 0.21 Bq L −1 , respectively, being the main natural radionuclide contributions uranium, radium, and their alpha daughters for gross alpha activity, and 40 K and 226 Ra beta daughters for gross beta activity (Sanchez-Cabeza and Pujol 1998;Pujol and Sanchez-Cabeza 2000). The notable number of worldwide studies aimed at analyzing the levels of radioactivity in natural water bodies show a high variability of results, with gross alpha and beta activities ranging <0.008-0.782 and 0.021-0.816 Bq L −1 , respectively (i.e., Bozkurt et al 2007;Dueñas et al 2007;Forte et al 2007;Kücükömeroglu et al 2008;Popovic et al 2008;Selçuk Zorer et al 2009). The concentrations here reported for tap water from the Ebro River are generally in the lower range than those reported in the scientific literature.…”