An overview of the ecological half-life of the 137 Cs radioisotope and a determination of radioactivity levels in sediment samples after Chernobyl in the Eastern Black Sea, Turkey

Abstract

Abstract A study which determined the activity concentration of 137 Cs in sediments contaminated by effluents from the Chernobyl accident which had collected along the coast of the Eastern Black Sea region in Turkey was carried out in 1993. Marine sediment samples were collected in 2015 from the same fifteen sampling points, and the activity concentrations of 226 Ra, 232 Th, 40 K and 137 Cs were determined for the sediment samples. The activity concentrations ranged from 10.94–25.95, 12.14–33.05, 265.74–459.89 and 2.08–37.45 Bq kg − 1 for 226 Ra, 232 Th, 40 K and 137 Cs respectively. The results showed that there was a steep decline in 137 Cs within the sediment at most of the sampling sites from the Eastern Black Sea region during the 22-year period, except for two sites at which the measured levels were much higher. This may be the result of the combined effects of radioactive contaminant entry into this area from rivers, environmental changes and nuclear testing between 1993 and 2015. Furthermore, the ecological half-life (EHL) of the 137 Cs radionuclide was estimated for the sediment samples, and radiological hazard parameters such as the absorbed dose rate in air (D), the annual effective dose equivalent (AEDE) and the excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) were calculated and compared with the international recommended values. It was shown that these sediments do not present any significant health risk for humans in this area.