Iranian Journal of Physics Research

Home

Browse

Journal Info

Editorial Board

Publication Ethics

Indexing and Abstracting

Peer Review Process

Journal Metrics

Guide for Authors

Submit Manuscript

Reviewers

Contact Us

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Arak University, Arak, Iran

https://doi.org/10.47176/ijpr.22.4.71518

Abstract

In this study, the specific activity of natural and artificial radioactive elements was measured for 50 sediment samples collected from throughout Miankaleh wetland in northern Iran on the southeastern side of the Caspian Sea using a High-Purity Germanium detector. Also, radiological parameters and hazard indicators due to environmental gamma radiation caused by these nuclei were calculated and a distribution map of Radium equivalent activity and absorbed Dose for the whole Miankaleh wetland was drawn using GIS software. The mean specific activity of ²²⁶Ra, ²³²Th, ⁴⁰K and ¹³⁷Cs respectively were 16.06±1.65, 21.19±1.46, 312.37±8.17 and 4.81±0.27 Bqkg^-1 that for natural radioactive nuclei are less than the global average. The highest concentration of ²²⁶Ra is related to the sediments of the estuary of the Galougah River. The results show rapid deposition of ²³²Th immediately after entering the lagoon. The highest concentrations of ⁴⁰K and ¹³⁷Cs were observed in the mouth of the Gaz River and the calm part in the central area of the wetland, respectively. The mean values of Ra_eq and D respectively were 70.42±4.37 Bqkg^-1 and 32.73 nGyh^-1, which are less than the global average. The distribution map of Ra_eq and D shows the high amount of these two parameters in the sediments of the southern and eastern parts of the wetland, which is due to the entry of radionuclei by the water flow of rivers of this wetland basin. In general, the amount of radioactivity expressed in terms of radium equivalent in the wetland is higher near the mouth of rivers with higher water flow. The average value for AEDE_out, ELCR, AGDE, Iγ and H_ex in this wetland is less than the allowable value and, in general, the results of this study show that the amount of radiation due to the radionuclei in Miankaleh wetland does not pose radiological hazards to the health of the inhabitants of this area.

Keywords

dor

20.1001.1.16826957.1401.22.4.24.0

Main Subjects

Nuclear Physics

References

United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), 2008, “Sources, effects and risks of ionizing radiation", New York: Report to the General Assembly with annexes.
International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), 2012. Compendium of dose coefficient based on ICRP Publication 119, 41(1).
Y F Ali, et al., Front. Phys. 8 (2020) 234.
M E Wrenn, et al., Phys. 48 (1985) 601.
K Sankaranarayanan, Res. 429 (1999) 45.
K M Miller, J L Kuiper, and I K Helfer, Environ. Radioact. 12, 1 (1990) 23.
M J Frissel, and R Pennders, “Models for the accumulation and migration of ⁹⁰Sr, ¹³⁷ Cs, ^239,240Pu and ²⁴¹Am in the upper layer of soils”, Blackwell, Oxford (1983).
Q He, and D E Walling, Radiat. Isot., 48 (1997) 667.
J C Ritchie, and J R Mchenry, Environ. Qual. 19 (1990) 215.
W Davidson, P Spezanno, and J Hilton, Environ. Radioact., 19 (1993) 109.
United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), 1993, “Sources and effects of ionizing radiation”, New York: Report to the General Assembly with annexes.
M A K AbdelHalim and A El-Taher, Radioanal. Nucl. Chem. 299 (2014) 1949.
G Suresh, et al., Environ. Radioact., 102 (2011) 370.
Geographic information system version 10.3 (GIS10.3) [Computer software], 2014, Retrieved from: https://www.esri.com
S H Habibi, Dissertation, Islamic Azad University of Tehran-North (2001) (In persian).
M Gharibreza, et al., Catena., 166 (2018) 339.
A M MofidiKhajeh, et al. “Soil Conservation and Watershed Management Research Institute”, Tehran (2008).
Civil Research Consulting Engineers (CRCE), 2008, “Identification studies of water resources of Miankaleh Peninsula., Mazandaran Regional Water Company” (In persian).
L Parsaie, and A M MofidiKhajeh, “Paper presented at the Fifth National Conference on Watershed Management Science and Engineering of Iran” (2009) (In Persian).
T Sufi, et al., “Iran Fisheries Science Research Institute” (2006) (In Persian).
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), 2003, “Collection and Preparation of bottom sediment sample for analysis of radionuclides and trace element”, (IAEA-TECDOC-1360, Vienna).
R Pourimani, and S M Mortazavi Shahroodi, J. Med. Phys. 15, 2 (2018) 126.
J D S Paiva, E E Farias, and E J D Franca, Assessment of the equilibrium of Th-228 and Ra-228 by gamma-ray spectrometry in mangrove soils, 2018 https://inis.iaea.org/search/search.aspx?orig_q=RN:47013750.
A Shahrokhi and T Kovacs, Sci. Eur. 33 (2021) 66.
R Pourimani and F Anoosheh, J. Med. Phys. 12, 3 (2015) 189.
R Pourimani and M Mohebian, J. Sci. Technol. Trans. A Sci. 45 (2021) 733.
R Pourimani and S Rahimi, J. Med. Phys. 13, 4 (2016) 269.
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), 1979, “Exposure to radiation from the natural radioactivity in building materials”, Report by a Group of Experts, Nuclear Energy Agency (Paris, France).
European Commission (EC), 1999, Radiological protection principles concerning the natural radioactivity of building material, In EC radiation protection, 112, Directorate General Environment, Nuclear Safety and Civil Protection.
International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP), 1990, Recommendations of the ICRP Publication 60, (Oxford: Pergamum Publication).
J Beretka and P J Mathew, Health Phys. 48, 1 (1985) 87.
R Pourimani and F Asadpour, Arak. Uni. Med. Sci. 19, 107 (2016) 9.
R Pourimani and S M Mortazavi Shahroodi, “Paper presented at the Third National Conference on Biotechnology Innovation and Technology, Iranian Chemistry”, Tehran (2021).
J S Chae, et al., Radioanal. Nucl. Chem. 319 (2019) 783.
R Pourimani, R Fardad, and M Mirzaei, Environ. Sci. Technol. 23 (2021) 47.
United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR), 2000, “Sources and effects of ionizing radiation”, New York: Report to the General Assembly with annexes.
H A Al-Trabuls, A E Khater, and F I Habbani, Phys. Chem. 80 (2011) 343.
N M Fahmi, et al., “Paper presented at the Tenth Radiation Physics and Protection Conference”, Nasr City–Cairo, Egypt, November (2010) .
A Shahrokhi, et al., Marine Pollution Bulletin, 163 (2021) 112009. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112009
M R Abdi, M Kamali, and S Vaezifar, Pollut. Bull. 56, 4 (2008) 751.
M R Abdi, et al., Pollut. Bull. 58, 5 (2009) 658.