A review of radioactivity in the Gulf region.

Abstract The region around the Gulf is moving toward a nuclear energy option with the first nuclear power plant now operational in Bushehr, Iran. Others are soon to be commissioned in Abu Dhabi and in Saudi Arabia. For this reason, radiological safety is becoming a prime concern in the region. This review compiles published data on radionuclide concentrations in seawater, sediment, and biota that have been analyzed in the Gulf countries, along with spatial distribution patterns to enable a synoptic view of the available datasets. The seawater concentrations of 3H, 210Po, 210Pb, 137Cs, and 90Sr varied between 130 and 146, 0.48–0.68, 0.75–0.89, 1.25–1.38, 0.57–0.78 mBq L−1, respectively. The 226Ra concentration in seawater varied between 0.26 and 3.82 Bq L−1. Extremely high 40K concentrations between 132 and 149 Bq L−1 have been reported from the Iranian coast compared to 8.9–9.3 Bq L−1 from the western side of the Gulf. Concentrations of 40K, total 210Pb, 137Cs, 90Sr, 226Ra, 228Ra, 238U, 235U, 234U, 239+240Pu, and 238Pu were determined in sediment and ranged between 353 and 445, 23.6–44.3, 1.0–3.1, 4.8–5.29, 17.3–20.5, 15–16.4, 28.7–31.4, 1.26–1.30, 29.7–30.0, 0.045–0.21 and 0.028–0.03 Bq kg−1 dry weight, respectively. Significantly higher 137Cs values have been reported from the Iranian coast compared to the western coast of the Gulf. Whole fish concentrations of 40K, 226Ra, 224Ra, 228Ra, 137Cs, 210Po and 90Sr ranged between 230 and 447, 0.7–7.3,