Abstract
BackgroundPo210 can be accumulated in various environmental materials, including marine organisms, and contributes to the dose of natural radiation in seafood. The concentration of this radionuclide in the marine environment can be influenced by the operation of a coal burning power plant but existing studies regarding this issue are not well documented. Therefore, the aim of this study was to estimate the Po210 concentration level in marine organisms from the coastal area of Kapar, Malaysia which is very near to a coal burning power plant station and to assess its impact on seafood consumers.MethodsConcentration of Po210 was determined in the edible muscle of seafood and water from the coastal area of Kapar, Malaysia using radiochemical separation and the Alpha Spectrometry technique.ResultsThe activities of Po210 in the dissolved phase of water samples ranged between 0.51 ± 0.21 and 0.71 ± 0.24 mBql-1 whereas the particulate phase registered a range of 50.34 ± 11.40 to 72.07 ± 21.20 Bqkg-1. The ranges of Po210 activities in the organism samples were 4.4 ± 0.12 to 6.4 ± 0.95 Bqkg-1 dry wt in fish (Arius maculatus), 45.7 ± 0.86 to 54.4 ± 1.58 Bqkg-1 dry wt in shrimp (Penaeus merguiensis) and 104.3 ± 3.44 to 293.8 ± 10.04 Bqkg-1 dry wt in cockle (Anadara granosa). The variation of Po210 in organisms is dependent on the mode of their life style, ambient water concentration and seasonal changes. The concentration factors calculated for fish and molluscs were higher than the recommended values by the IAEA. An assessment of daily intake and received dose due to the consumption of seafood was also carried out and found to be 2083.85 mBqday-1person-1 and 249.30 μSvyr-1 respectively. These values are comparatively higher than reported values in other countries. Moreover, the transformation of Po210 in the human body was calculated and revealed that a considerable amount of Po210 can be absorbed in the internal organs. The calculated values of life time mortality and morbidity cancer risks were 24.8 × 10-4 and 34 × 10-4 respectively which also exceeded the recommended limits set by the ICRP.ConclusionsThe findings of this present study can be used to evaluate the safety dose uptake level of seafood as well as to monitor environmental health. However, as the calculated dose and cancer risks were found to cross the limit of safety, finding a realistic way to moderate the risk is imperative.
Highlights
Po210 can be accumulated in various environmental materials, including marine organisms, and contributes to the dose of natural radiation in seafood
The highest values of Po210 activity concentrations were found in molluscs, the lowest values were found in fish and the middle position was occupied by crustaceans
Po210 uptake from the water column was estimated using the biological concentration factor (BCF) for the marine organisms analyzed in this study [11]
Summary
Po210 can be accumulated in various environmental materials, including marine organisms, and contributes to the dose of natural radiation in seafood. The concentration of this radionuclide in the marine environment can be influenced by the operation of a coal burning power plant but existing studies regarding this issue are not well documented. Po210 (T1/2 = 138.4 d) is an alpha emitter within the U-238 decay series and among the natural radionuclides occurring in the ocean, alpha emitters are considered to be the most important because of its radiation exposure This radionuclide is accumulated by a variety of marine organisms and is known to be a major contributor (90%) to the dose of natural radiation coming from alpha emitting radionuclides received by most marine organisms [6,7]. Ingestion of Po210 through seafood consumption varies from place to place and depends on the concentration of Po210 in seafood organisms, as well as on the consumption rate of seafood
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