Cesium and Uranium Radioisotopes Monitoring in Kuwait Bay Seawater

Abstract

Both people and the environment are continuously exposed to sources of radioactivity. Continuous monitoring of the concentration of natural and anthropogenic radioisotopes is of the utmost importance in the estimation of an individual’s received dose. In order to evaluate the radiological safety of locally sourced desalinated water and seafood, the activity concentrations of Cesium-137 (¹³⁷Cs), Uranium-234 (²³⁴U), and Uranium-238 (²³⁸U) in Kuwait Bay seawater were measured. Ten 25-L seawater samples were collected from Kuwait Bay and underwent radiochemical analysis. ¹³⁷Cs levels in the samples were determined by the Ammonium Molybdenum Phosphate (AMP) co-precipitation method, followed by gamma spectrometry measurement. ²³⁴U and ²³⁸U levels were determined by a radiochemical separation using anion exchange chromatography, followed by an alpha spectrometry measurement. The levels of ¹³⁷Cs, ²³⁴U, and ²³⁸U in Kuwait Bay are considered low and comparable to other regional marine water levels. These low levels do not pose a radiological hazard of locally sourced desalinated water and seafood consumption. The ratio of ²³⁴U/²³⁸U was also calculated in order to investigate the the impact of any anthropogenic sources. These data can be considered a baseline reference for any future comparative analysis, especially since some Gulf countries are initiating their first nuclear reactors within the next few years.