A baseline monitoring of radiological sediment quality and associated risk assessment in coastal ecosystems of the Republic of Congo

• Published in: Environmental monitoring and assessment 2024-09, Vol.196 (9), p.801-801, Article 801
• Main Authors: Kaya, Freddy Cacharel, Bouh, Hasna A. I. T., Laissaoui, Abdelmourhit, Elenga, Hilaire, Benkdad, Azzouz, Sebbar, Mohammed, Dallou, Guy Blanchard, Kayath, Aimé Christian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: anthropogenic activities; Anthropogenic factors; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Biota; Coastal ecosystems; Congo; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; Ecosystem; Ecosystems; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Management; Environmental monitoring; gamma spectrometry; Geologic Sediments - chemistry; Human influences; Humans; Lead isotopes; Marine environment; Monitoring; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Oceans; Radiation effects; Radiation Monitoring; Radioactivity; Radioisotopes; Radionuclide kinetics; Radium - analysis; Radium 226; Radium isotopes; Radium radioisotopes; Republic of the Congo; Risk analysis; Risk Assessment; Sediment; Sediment samplers; Sediment samples; Sediments; Spectrometry; Thorium; Thorium - analysis; Thorium isotopes; Uranium - analysis; Uranium 238; Water Pollutants, Radioactive - analysis
• ISSN: 0167-6369; 1573-2959; 1573-2959
• DOI: 10.1007/s10661-024-12974-8

This study presents the first data on levels of natural radioactive elements in sediments from coastal ecosystems of the Republic of Congo. Sediment samples from five coastal sites were collected and analyzed by high-resolution gamma spectrometry for determination of activities of long-lived gamma-emitting radionuclides ( 234 Th, 238 U, 226 Ra, 210 Pb, 228 Th, 228 Ra, and 40  K). The specific activities were of the same order of magnitude as those measured in sediments of most countries neighboring the Republic of Congo. However, variations in activities were observed from one site to another and also from one sampling point to another within the same site without exceeding the global average reference values. It can be assumed, therefore, that no significant anthropogenic impact is perceptible in the study area. The most commonly used radiological hazard parameters, based mainly on 238 U, 232 Th, and 40  K activities, were assessed and the ERICA tool was applied to quantify the radiation exposure burden to human and biota resulting from radionuclides in sediments. Besides being useful for future monitoring efforts, the data produced in this work could be important for the worldwide database on radioactivity in the oceans and seas (MARIS) since no data are available in the Congolese marine environment.