Activity concentrations of 210Po and 210Pb in fish and mussels in İzmir, Turkey, and the related health risk assessment (dose assessment and pesticide levels) to the consumers

The activity concentrations of natural radionuclides (²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb) and residual pesticide levels were determined from the fish (red mullet, common sole, anchovy, horse mackerel, gray mullet, and sardine) and mussel samples collected in İzmir Bay seasonally from October 2012 and July 2013. The ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb concentrations varied between 5.7 ± 4.0 Bq kg^-1 dry weight (dw) to 353.7 ± 45.0 Bq kg^-1(dw) and 0.7 ± 0.2 Bq kg^-1 (dw) to 4.3 ± 0.8 Bq kg^-1 (dw), respectively. From a public health point of view, the fish and mussel collected from the İzmir Bay are not harmful to consumers.

Atmospheric depositional characteristics of 210Po, 210Pb and some trace elements in İzmir, Turkey

The total atmospheric deposition rates of ²¹⁰Po, ²¹⁰Pb and some trace elements (Li, Be, B, Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, K, Ca, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, As, Se, Rb, Sr, Mo, Ag, Cd, Sn, Sb, Ba, La, Ce, Tl, Pb and U) have been determined for a year (November 2014-October 2015) collecting samples monthly using bulk collectors at three sites in İzmir, Turkey (Aliağa, Bornova, and Dikili). The annual ²¹⁰Po flux was found as 34.8 Bq m^-2 y^-1 in Aliağa, 29.2 Bq m^-2 y^-1 in Bornova, 21.1 Bq m^-2 y^-1 in Dikili; the annual ²¹⁰Pb flux was found as 41.7 Bq m^-2 y^-1 in Aliağa, 43.6 Bq m^-2 y^-1 in Bornova, 28.6 Bq m^-2 y^-1 in Dikili. The annual depositional fluxes of ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb were generally correlated with the amount of precipitation. For most trace elements the highest fluxes were observed in Aliağa, while the lowest fluxes were observed in Dikili.

An investigation on the seasonal variations of the biomarkers of oxidative stress response and their correlations to Polonium-210 in mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) and common sole (Solea solea) from İzmir Bay, Turkey

It is well known that the marine organisms are used as biological indicators for environmental pollution studies. Among these studies, the research on oxidative stress has been increasing in recent years. In this study, mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) and fish (Solea solea) samples were collected seasonally from İnciraltı, İzmir, Turkey. This station was in an area where fishing is carried out for human consumption. The relationship between ²¹⁰Po and oxidative stress markers (lipid peroxidation (LPO), H₂O₂ and proline) was investigated in the mussel tissue (digestive gland, gills) and fish tissue (liver, gills) samples. The present study indicated that H₂O₂ accumulated with increasing ²¹⁰Po concentration in mussel samples. Statistically significant correlation were found between H₂O₂ and ²¹⁰Po and LPO and proline in mussel samples. This correlation between LPO and proline can be attributed to common environmental parameters (other than ²¹⁰Po) affecting expression of both LPO and proline levels. There was not a significant correlation between ²¹⁰Po and LPO levels. Similarly, a significant correlation was not found between ²¹⁰Po and proline.

Spatial and temporal variability of ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) at the Turkish coast of the Aegean Sea

In this study, the activity concentrations of ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb were determined in mussel samples (Mytilus galloprovincialis) collected from the Turkish coast of the Aegean Sea. The samples were collected seasonally for a period of two years (2004-2006) at six coastal stations (Çanakkale, Dikili, Foça, Çeşme, Didim, Bodrum). Mussels were separated into several groups according to their size (1-4,4-6,>6 cm). The results showed that ²¹⁰Po concentrations in mussels varied between 53±4 and 1960±60 Bq kg(-1)dw. The highest activity ²¹⁰Po concentrations were determined in winter samples of mussels with a shell length of 4-6 cm from Didim. In general, it was observed that the ²¹⁰Pb concentration levels in mussels were lower than ²¹⁰Po concentrations. The ²¹⁰Po/²¹⁰Pb activity concentration ratios exceeded unity for all mussel samples and averaged 26.0. The inter-site differences seen in ²¹⁰Po concentrations can be due to both the natural background levels of sites and industrial activities.