Radioactivity in the Kuwait marine environment — Baseline measurements and review

• Published in: Marine pollution bulletin 2015-11, Vol.100 (2), p.651-661
• Main Authors: Uddin, S., Aba, A., Fowler, S.W., Behbehani, M., Ismaeel, A., Al-Shammari, H., Alboloushi, A., Mietelski, J.W., Al-Ghadban, A., Al-Ghunaim, A., Khabbaz, A., Alboloushi, O.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 137-Cs; 210-PB; 210-Po; 90-Sr; Animals; Cesium Radioisotopes - analysis; Fishes; Food Contamination, Radioactive - analysis; Kuwait; Lead Radioisotopes - analysis; Marine; Mollusca; Mollusca - metabolism; Phytoplankton - chemistry; Plutonium; Polonium - analysis; Polonium - pharmacokinetics; Seafood - analysis; Seasons; Seawater; Sharks - metabolism; Strontium Radioisotopes - analysis; Tissue Distribution; Uranium; Water Pollutants, Radioactive - analysis; Water Pollutants, Radioactive - pharmacokinetics
• ISSN: 0025-326X; 1879-3363
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.10.018

The Arabian Gulf region is moving towards a nuclear energy option with the first nuclear power plant now operational in Bushehr, Iran, and others soon to be constructed in Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia. Radiological safety is becoming a prime concern in the region. This study compiles available data and presents recent radionuclide data for the northern Gulf waters, considered as pre-nuclear which will be a valuable dataset for future monitoring work in this region. Radionuclide monitoring in the marine environment is a matter of prime concern for Kuwait, and an assessment of the potential impact of radionuclides requires the establishment and regular updating of baseline levels of artificial and natural radionuclides in various environmental compartments. Here we present baseline measurements for 210Po, 210Pb, 137Cs, 90Sr, and 3H in Kuwait waters. The seawater concentration of 3H, 210Po, 210Pb, 137Cs, and 90Sr vary between 130–146, 0.48–0.68, 0.75–0.89, 1.25–1.38 and 0.57–0.78mBqL−1, respectively. The 40K concentration in seawater varies between 8.9–9.3BqL−1. The concentration of 40K, total 210Pb, 137Cs, 90Sr, 226Ra, 228Ra, 238U, 235U, 234U, 239+240Pu and 238Pu were determined in sediments and range, respectively, between 353–445, 23.6–44.3, 1.0–3.1, 4.8–5.29, 17.3–20.5, 15–16.4, 28.7–31.4, 1.26–1.30, 29.7–30.0, 0.045–0.21 and 0.028–0.03Bqkg−1 dry weight. Since, radionuclides are concentrated in marine biota, a large number of marine biota samples covering several trophic levels, from microalgae to sharks, were analyzed. The whole fish concentration of 40K, 226Ra, 224Ra, 228Ra, 137Cs, 210Po and 90Sr range between 230–447, 0.7–7.3,