Determination and Comparative Analysis of Natural Radioactivity Levels Using Gamma Spectrometry in Shore Sediment Samples from the East Coast, Libya
Main Article Content
Abstract
The occurrence of natural radioactivity in the environment is attributable to the primordial and cosmogonist nuclides in the earth’s crust where the exposure associated with this natural radioactivity relies principally on the geological and geographical environments. In this paper, Natural-radionuclide levels 238U, 226Ra, 232Th and 40K were determined and investigated in seashore sediment samples collected from an area on the Eastern Coast of Libya (Al Jabal Al Akhdar region). The goal of this research is to evaluate radionuclide's concentrations and their distribution in this region. The measurement of natural radioactivity concentrations in the sediment samples was performed employing gamma-ray spectrometry techniques using a pure germanium detector (HPGe). The extracted values of the activities for238U, 226Ra,232Th, and40K were in the range of values obtained in similar studies in other countries and are within the average worldwide values. The calculated average values of radioactivity concentrations for 238U, 226Ra, 232Th and 40K were 7.75, 8.53, 3.16 and 13.26 Bq/kg, respectively. The descriptive statistical features of radioactive levels in sediment samples are also presented. Due to the limited similar studies in the study area, the obtained results could assist in setting up a reference line of radiometric records for radioprotection purposes and environmental monitoring schemes in the study area and in Libya in general.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
References
General Assembly, with Annexes, New York, UNSCEAR, (2000), Sources, Effects and Risks of Ionization Radiation, United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, United Nations, New York.
Ahier, B. A., and Tracy, B. L., (1995), Radionuclides in the Great Lakes Basin, Environ. Health Perspect. Radiation Protection Bureau, Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, 103 (Suppl 9), 89–101. doi: 10.1289/ehp.95103s989
Krmar, M., Slivka, J., Varga, E., Bikit, I., and Veskovic, M., (2009), Correlations of natural radionuclides in sediment from Danube, J. Geochem. Explor, 100, 1, 20–24. doi:10.1016/j.gexplo.2008.03.002
El-Reefy, H. I., Sharshar, T., Elnimr, T., and Badran, H. M., (2010), Distribution of gamma-ray emitting radionuclides in the marine environment of the Burullus Lake: II. Bottom sediments, J. Environ. Monit., 169, 273–284. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-009-1169-1
El Zakla, T., Basha, A. M., Kotb, N. A., Abu Khadra, S. A., and Sayed, M. S., (2013), Environmental studies involving determination of some radionuclides at Qaroun lake, al-Fayoum, Egypt, Arab J. of Nucl. Science and Applications, 46, 4, 122-131.
Akram, M., Qureshi, R. M., Ahmad, N., and Solaija, T. J., (2005), Gamma-emitting radionuclides in the shallow marine sediments off the Sindh coast, Arabian Sea, Radiat. Protect. Dosim., 118, 4, 440–447. doi: 10.1093/rpd/nci355
Burger, J., Gochfeld, M., Kosson, D., Powers, C. W., Jewett, S., Friedlander, B., Chenelot, H., Volz, C., Jeitner, C., (2006), Radionuclides in marine macroalgae from Amchitka and Kiska Islands in the Aleutians: establishing a baseline for future biomonitoring, J. Environ. Radioact. 91 (1-2), 27–40. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2006.08.003
Radenkovic, M. B., Alshikh, S. M., Andric, V. B., and Miljanic, S. S., (2009), Radioactivity of Sand from Several Renowned Public Beaches and Assessment of the Corresponding Environmental Risks, J. of the Serbian Chemical Society, 74, 4, 461-470. doi:10.2298/JSC0904461R
Alaamer, A. S., (2008), Assessment of Human Exposures to Natural Sources of Radiation in Soil of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Turkish Journal of Engineering & Environmental Sciences, 32, 229-234.
Kurnaz, A., Küҫükӧmeroǧlu, B., Keser, R., Okumusoglu, N. T., Korkmaz, F., Karahan, G., and Ҫevik, U., (2007), Determination of radioactivity levels and hazards of soil and sediment samples in Fırtına Valley (Rize, Turkey), Applied Radiation and Isotopes, 65, 1281–1289, 2007. doi:10.1016/j.apradiso.2007.06.001
Amwaalanga, M. N. N., Onjefu, S. A., Zivuku, M., and Hamunyela, R. H., (2019), Assessment of natural radioactivity levels and radiation hazards in shore sediments from the Zambezi River Namibia, Int. Sci. Technol. J. Namibia, 13, 75-83. eISSN: 2026-8653/c 2019 ISTJN
Saleh, I. M., M. Sc., Determination of Concentration Levels and Types of Some Radioactive Elements in the Coast Sediments and Sea water in the Area from Toukra to Sousa, Libya, Omar Al-Mukhtar University, El-Beida, Libya, 2015.
Amin, R. M., (2015), Radioactivity Levels in Some Sediments and Water Samples from Qarun Lake by Low–Level Gamma Spectrometry, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), 4, 2, 619-625.
Elmzainy, A. S., Basil, S. S., Alsaadi, S. D., and Hazawi, A., (2022), Measurement of natural radioactivity in the sediments of the beaches of the north east coast of Libya, Science Journal, 14, 38-44.
Ogundele, K. T., Oluyemi, E. A., Oyekunle, J. A. O., Makinde, O. W., and Gbenu, S.T., (2018), An Evaluation of Health Hazards Indices of Natural Radioactivity of the Sediments from Eko-Ende Dam, Osun State, Nigeria, Open Journal of Ecology, 8, 607-621. https://doi.org/10.4236/oje.2018.811036
Chowdhury, M. I., Alam, M. N., and Hazari, S. K. S., (1999), Distribution of radionuclides in the river sediments and coastal soils of Chittagong, Bangladesh and evaluation of the radiation hazard, Appl. Radiat. Isot., 51, 747–755. doi:10.1016/S0969-8043(99)00098-6
Dar, M. A. and El Saharty, A. A., (2013), Activity levels of some radionuclides in Mariout and Brullus lakes, Egypt. Radiat. Prot. Dosim., 157, 1, 85–94. doi: 10.1093/rpd/nct106
El Mamoney, M. H. and Khater, A. M., (2004), Environmental characterization and radio-ecological impacts of non-nuclear industries on the Red Sea coast, Journal Environ. Radioact., 73, 151–168. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2003.08.008
Adamu, R., Zakari, Y. I., Ahmed, Y., Vatsa, A. M., and Abubukar, K. A., (2013), Ochradioecological Assesment of the Sediment of Kainji Lake Due to Natural Radionuclides, Middle-East J. of Scientific Res., 15, 4, 566-570. doi:10.5829/idosi.mejsr.2013.15.4.11148
Powell, B. A., Hughes, L. D., Soreefan, A. M., Falta, D., Wall, M., and De, T. A., (2007), Elevated concentrations of primordial radionuclides in sediments from the Reedy River and surrounding creeks in Simpsonville, South Carolina, Journal Environ. Radioacti., 94, 3, 121–128. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2006.12.013
General Assembly, with Annexes, New York, UNSCEAR, (1999), Sources, Effects and Risks of Ionization Radiation, United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation, United Nations, New York.
Ababneh, Z. Q., Al-Omari, H., Rasheed, M., Al-Najjar, Ababneh, A. M., (2010), Assessment of gamma-emitting radionuclides in sediment cores from the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea, Radiat. Prot. Dosim., 141, 289–298. doi: 10.1093/rpd/ncq182
Papaefthymiou, H. V., Chourdaki, G., and Vakalas, J., (2011), Natural radionuclides content and associated dose rates in fine-grained sediments from Patras-Rion sub-basins, Greece, Radiat. Prot. Dosim., 143, 1, 117–124. doi:10.1093/rpd/ncq345
Ravisankar, R., Sivakumar, S., Chandrasekaran, A., Jebakumar, J. P., Vijayalakshmi, I., Vijayagopal, P., and Venkatraman, B., (2014), Spatial distribution of gamma radioactivity levels and radiological hazard indices in the East Coastal shore sediments of Tamilnadu, India with statistical approach, Radiat. Phys. Chem., 103, 89–98. doi: 10.1016/j.radphyschem.2014.05.037