A. Aba

Baseline concentration of 210Po and 210Pb in Sargassum from the northern Gulf

This baseline study highlights the (210)Po and (210)Pb concentration in two species of the benthic macroalgae Sargassum from northern Gulf, also known as the ROPME Sea Area (RSA). Within the marine environment, (210)Po is initially absorbed from water and concentrated by phytoplankton and macroalgae, and this concentrated (210)Po can then readily be passed along to the higher trophic level of the marine food web. The (210)Po concentration measured in Sargassum boveanum (22.5-25.6 Bq kg(-1)) was higher than that in Sargassum oligocystum (20.2-22.5 Bq kg(-1)), but is not statistically significant (p>0.064), where as the difference between (210)Pb concentrations in Sargassum boveanum (15.3-16.8 Bq kg(-1)) and Sargassum oligocystum (18.4-22.0 Bq kg(-1)) was statistically significant (p>0.019). The measured concentration factor for (210)Po in Sargassum in the northern Gulf varied between 0.55 and 1.2×10(4), values higher to the IAEA recommended value of 1×10(3). The (210)Po enrichment is observed in both the species of Sargassum,(210)Po/(210)Pb ratio was >1 at all the stations for all the samples.

Baseline concentration of 210Po in Kuwait's commercial fish species.

This baseline study highlights the (210)Po variation in whole fishes with different feeding habits. Whole-body (210)Po concentrations were determined in ten important commercial fish species found in the northern Arabian Gulf to serve as baseline data. Primarily, (210)Po is absorbed from water, concentrated by phytoplankton and microzooplankton, and then transferred to the next trophic level along the marine food chain. The lowest concentration of (210)Po was measured in larger carnivorous fishes like hamoor (0.089 Bq kg(-1)), while the highest was found in the fishes that feed on algae, zooplanktons and detritus, like battan (3.30 Bq kg(-1)). The baseline data can be used to understand both the trophic transfer of (210)Po in the marine food chain and the (210)Po concentration factors in fish from the Arabian Gulf.

Concentration of selected radionuclides in seawater from Kuwait

No baseline existed for the radionuclides in Kuwait territorial water. With changing trend in the region to embrace nuclear energy, the baseline study is imperative to create a reference and to record the influence-functioning of upcoming power plants. The first one in Bushehr, Iran is ready to start and several more are likely to come-up in UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The present baseline concentration of the four considered radionuclides show low concentration of tritium, polonium, strontium and cesium; their concentration is comparable to most oceanic waters.

Plutonium and cesium baseline concentrations in seawater from northern Arabian Gulf

The Arabian Gulf is a semi-enclosed water body that has witnessed accelerated anthropogenic activity, in terms of commissioning of nuclear power plants, desalination facilities, oil refineries and extensive coastal development. Furthermore, three wars during the past three decades is a potential worry. This study presents the first plutonium baseline in seawater from the Northern Arabian Gulf. The 239+240Pu concentrations in seawater vary, between 2.9 and 4.9mBqm-3, a range that is comparable to other water masses at this latitude. The 238Pu ranged between 0.04 and 0.05mBqm-3 and the 137Cs concentration between 1.04 and 1.18Bqm-3. The ratio of 238Pu/239+240Pu at all eight sampling stations was 0.01, while the ratio of 239+240Pu/137Cs varied between 0.01 and 0.02. The presence of 137Cs and 239+240Pu in seawater from this region can mainly be attributed to the global atmospheric deposition and fluvial transport. The seawater concentration of 239+240Pu is five order of magnitude lower than bottom sediments in the area.

Baseline radionuclide specific activity in commercial fishes of Kuwait

Radionuclide concentration in commercial fish species of Kuwait has been determined primarily with the intention of creating the baseline for 210Po, 137Cs, 40K, 226Ra, 224Ra, 228Ra, and 90Sr. This baseline information can be useful for issuing food advisories and determining annual intakes and radiation doses due to fish consumption. The highest fresh weight concentration of 210Po and 90Sr was in Battan and the lowest in Sobaity. Highest fresh weight 40K concentration was observed in Meid and the lowest in Battan. The 224Ra, 226Ra and 228Ra concentrations were highest in Meid, whereas the lowest was in Nuwaibi. In all the collected fish samples, 137Cs was below the detection limit.

Associations Between Ambient Particle Radioactivity and Blood Pressure: The NAS (Normative Aging Study)

Background The cardiovascular effects of low‐level environmental radiation exposures are poorly understood. Although particulate matter (PM) has been linked to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and elevated blood pressure (BP), the properties promoting its toxicity remain uncertain. Addressing a knowledge gap, we evaluated whether BP increased with higher exposures to radioactive components of ambient PM, herein referred to as particle radioactivity (PR). Methods and Results We performed a repeated‐measures analysis of 852 men to examine associations between PR exposure and BP using mixed‐effects regression models. As a surrogate for PR, we used gross β activity, measured by the US Environmental Protection Agencys radiation monitoring network. Higher PR exposure was associated with increases in both diastolic BP and systolic BP, for exposures from 1 to 28 days. An interquartile range increase in 28‐day PR exposure was associated with a 2.95–mm Hg increase in diastolic BP (95% confidence interval, 2.25–3.66; P<0.001) and a 3.94–mm Hg increase in systolic BP (95% confidence interval, 2.62–5.27; P<0.001). For models including both PR and PM ≤2.5 µm, the PR‐BP associations remained stable and significant. For models including PR and black carbon or PR and particle number, the PR‐BP associations were attenuated; however, they remained significant for many exposure durations. Conclusions This is the first study to demonstrate the potential adverse effects of PR on both systolic and diastolic BPs. These were independent and similar in magnitude to those of PM ≤2.5 µm, black carbon, and particle number. Understanding the effects of particle‐bound radionuclide exposures on BP may have important implications for environmental and public health policy.

Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM) in seawater of the northern Arabian Gulf – Baseline measurements

This study focuses on creating baseline for 238U, 235U, 234U, 210Pb, 210Po and 40K concentrations in the northern Arabian Gulf. The respective concentration ranges were 0.047-0.050, 0.00186-0.00198, 0.054-0.057, 0.00085-0.00092, 0.00051-0.00062 and 18.6-19.1Bql-1. These results suggest that the levels are generally comparable to other marine waters in the northern hemisphere. There were no hot spots observed from oil and gas industry. These data will serve as a baseline to gauge possible future inputs of TENORMs in the northern Gulf. A positive and linear correlation was observed between 238,234U, 40K isotopes and seawater salinity. The results also suggest significant fractionation between 210Po and 210Pb, attributed to rapid removal of 210Po by biota compared to 210Pb. The mean residence time for 210Po in the study area was 371days. The 234U/238U and 238U/235U activity ratios in seawater samples vary between 1.14-1.15, and 0.038-0.040. The 234U/238U and 235U/238U ratio is similar to the expected composition of seawater (1.148±0.002) and 0.0462.

Atmospheric deposition fluxes of 137Cs associated with dust fallout in the northeastern Arabian Gulf

For many years, monitoring and determining the radioactivity of 137Cs in the environment has considerable interest. This paper presents monitoring 137Cs deposition fluxes during the period from 2009 to 2011. Dust fallout samples were collected from ten locations in Kuwait, and 137Cs concentrations were determined using ultra low spectrometry system. The average of the annual atmospheric deposition fluxes of 137Cs was 4.3, with an extreme value reaching 50 Bq m-2. The monthly deposition rates of 137Cs were attributed to seasonal increases in the spring. 137Cs deposition fluxes showed a significant relationship with dust deposition and precipitation rates, where the correlation between the monthly dust fallout and the 137Cs deposition fluxes and precipitation rates were approximately 0.95 and 0.81, respectively. The spatial monthly distribution of 137Cs fluxes showed high rates in the southeastern part of Kuwait while the lowest rates were recorded along the coastlines. A strong correlation was observed between the annual 137Cs and 40K deposition rates considering that both radionuclides deposition were governed by similar conditions. It was concluded that long-range transport from the northwestern areas along with the effects from local dust washout and the site specify played a major role in controlling the rate of 137Cs deposition. The estimated annual effective dose equivalent due to external and internal exposures was insignificant and can be ignored. It is worthwhile to continue investigating the source origin of 137Cs in Kuwait to enhance understanding of the radiological hazards in the country.

Recent exposure to particle radioactivity and biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation: The Framingham Heart Study

BACKGROUND Decay products of radioactive materials may attach to ambient fine particles and form radioactive aerosol. Internal ionizing radiation source from inhaled radioactive aerosol may contribute to the fine particulate matter (PM2.5)-inflammation pathway. However, few studies in humans have examined the associations. OBJECTIVES To examine the associations between particle radioactivity and biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation among participants from the Framingham Offspring and Third Generation cohorts. METHODS We included 3996 participants who were not current smokers and lived within 50 km from our central air pollution monitoring station. We estimated regional mean gross beta radioactivity from monitors in the northeastern U.S. as a surrogate for ambient radioactive particles, and calculated the 1- to 28-day moving averages. We used linear regression models for fibrinogen, tumor necrosis factor α, interleukin-6, and myeloperoxidase which were measured once, and linear mixed effect models for 8-epi-prostaglandin F2α, C-reactive protein, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1), P-selectin, and tumor necrosis factor receptor-2 that were measured up to twice, adjusting for demographics, individual- and area-level socioeconomic positions, time, meteorology, and PM2.5. We also examined whether the associations differed by median age, sex, diabetes status, PM2.5 levels, and black carbon levels. RESULTS The mean age was 54 years and 54% were women. An interquartile range (3 × 10-3 pCi/m3) higher beta radioactivity level at the 7-day moving average was associated with 5.09% (95% CI: 0.92, 9.43), 2.65% (1.10, 4.22), and 4.71% (95% CI: 3.01, 6.44) higher levels of interleukin-6, MCP-1, and P-selectin, but with 7.01% (95% CI: -11.64, -2.15) and 2.70% (95% CI: -3.97, -1.42) lower levels of 8-epi-prostaglandin F2α and ICAM-1, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Regional mean particle radioactivity was positively associated with interleukin-6, MCP-1, and P-selectin, but negatively with ICAM-1 and 8-epi-prostaglandin F2α among our study participants.