Radioactivity in sediments and gross alpha–beta activities in surface water of Fırtına River, Turkey

The concentrations and distribution of natural and artificial radionuclides in sediment and water samples collected from Fırtına River in the Eastern Black Sea region of Turkey were investigated with an aim of evaluating the environmental radioactivity and radiation hazard. Natural gross α and gross β activities were determined for 21 different water samples, and the activity concentrations were obtained for 226Ra, 214Pb, 214Bi, 228Ac, 208Tl, 40K and 137Cs in 20 different sediment samples. The obtained results showed that natural gross α and gross β activity concentrations in water samples range from 12.4 ± 3.4 to 66.2 ± 9.2 mBq l−1 and from 27.9 ± 3.3 to 133.3 ± 4.1 mBq l−1, respectively. The mean activity concentrations were 32.6 ± 3.8 mBq l−1 for gross α and 69.9 ± 4.4 mBq l−1 for gross β. Generally, the gross β activities were higher than the corresponding gross α activities. The average concentrations of 238U and 232Th daughter products vary from 11 to 167 Bq kg−1 and from 16 to 107 Bq kg−1, respectively. The concentrations of 40K and 137Cs vary from 51 to 1,605 Bq kg−1 and from 0.8 to 42 Bq kg−1, respectively. Sediment characterization was also investigated using grain size, thin section and XRD analysis.