Determination of Polonium 210 (210PO) activity in biota of Kapıdağ Peninsula (Sea of Marmara)

In the present study, the activity concentrations of 210Po were investigated in some vertebrate and invertebrate species of Kapıdağ Peninsula. This study provides that the activity levels of 210Po of Kapıdağ Peninsula were revealed for the first time. A total of 23 species (14 vertebrate and 9 invertebrate) were examined. Muscle, gill, digestive system and liver tissues of fish specimen and total soft tissues of select invertebrates were used for the measurements. After the radiochemical procedures applied to the samples, 210Po activities were measured using an alpha spectrometer (ORTEC Alpha Ensemble). As a result of the measurements, the highest 210Po activity was found to be 4450 ± 32 Bq kg-1 in the digestive system of anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) and the lowest 210Po activity was found to be 1,0 ± 0,6 Bq kg-1 in the muscle tissue of spiny stingray fish (Raja clavata). According to the obtained data, 210Po accumulation was evaluated in terms of select species and different tissues of the species and compared with other data in the literature. Accordingly, the activity concentrations in the study area were found to be within the range of published values in the literature. As a result of statistical analysis, significant differences (P <0.05) were found between tissues in terms of 210Po accumulation. The highest activity was observed in the digestive system and liver tissue. Po-210 radiation dose due to consumption of fish by human was calculated. The highest dose of 210Po was calculated for anchovy (E. encrasicolus). The data obtained from this study are the first for this region and serve as baseline data for further studies.