Abstract
This study focused on the determination of natural (238U, 232Th, and 40K) and artificial (137Cs) radionuclide concentrations both in 55 sediment samples collected from various depths in the Bosphorus and 5 soil samples from the coastline of the Bosphorus, Istanbul, using gamma-ray spectrometry with an HPGe detector. The mean activity concentrations of natural 238U, 232Th, and 40K and anthropogenic 137Cs were determined to be 11.41 ± 0.21 Bq kg−1, 6.87 ± 0.16 Bq kg−1, 369.61 ± 3.41 Bq kg−1, and 6.54 ± 0.11 Bq kg−1, respectively, in the sediment samples. The average activity concentrations of 238U, 232Th, 40K, and 137Cs radionuclides in the soil samples were also measured to be 11.65 ± 0.18 Bq kg−1, 9.55 ± 0.15 Bq kg−1, 369.43 ± 3.09 Bq kg−1, and 4.57 ± 0.09 Bq kg−1, respectively. Radiological contour maps based on the activity concentrations of natural and artificial radionuclides in the sediment samples for the Bosphorus, Istanbul, were created. The total annual effective doses due to soil samples were calculated to be 34.58 μSv y−1.
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Data availability
Datasets analyzed during the current study are available from corresponding author on reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
This work was carried out in the Environmental Radioactivity Measurement and Research Laboratory in the Nuclear Physics Department of Science Faculty, Istanbul University. The authors would like to thank Güler Ağgez and Berna Gündoğdu for their help for the sample preparation.
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This study was supported by the Istanbul University BAP 32235 project. The sediment sample collection part was supported within the scope of the Istanbul University BAP 53379 project.
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Pınar İsel contributed in soil sample collection and sample preparation and wrote the first draft. Ayşegül Mülayim collected sediment samples. Pınar İsel and Nurgül Hafızoğlu performed the measurements and data analysis. Nurgül Hafızoğlu was involved in the creation of maps and review and editing of the draft. Latife Şahin and Ela Ganioğlu contributed in interpretation of the data and graphs, review, editing, and the final manuscript. The final version of the manuscript has been reviewed by all authors.
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İsel, P., Sahin, L., Hafızoğlu, N. et al. Natural and artificial radioactive pollution in sediment and soil samples of the Bosphorus, Istanbul. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 70937–70949 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-27455-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-27455-7