Analysis of radioactive pollution in the Gulf of Palermo.
OBJECTIVE
Sea water represents more than three quarters of the whole world. The radioactive fall out caused by nuclear experiments, radioactive drosses from nuclear power plants and other pollution sources, are able to contaminate the world ecosystems, and especially the sea water. The aim of this work is the evaluation of a possible radioactive pollution in the Gulf of Palermo.


METHODS
The Gulf of Palermo was divided into 5 homogeneous hydrological parts, in which fish and water were collected. The dosage of 131I e del 137Cs was mainly assessed because they have a long half-life and their presence in the water can be due to nuclear accidents but also to a wrong removal of the waste materials of nuclear medicine procedures; the other radioisotopes assessed (144Ce, 106Rh, 140La) are due only to nuclear fall-out. Gamma spectrometry technique was used for the evaluation of the radioisotopes' concentration after an adequate treatment of the samples.


CONCLUSIONS
The concentration of the examined radionuclides was below the instrumental capability apart from the 137Cs, whose dose was increased, and can be due to nuclear accidents and explosions. The radionuclide levels detected do not determine a higher risk than normal for the population's health even regard the eatablity of ittical species.
Cardinale
A E
AE
Sezione di Scienze Radiologiche, Dipartimento di Biotecnologie Mediche e di Medicina Legale, Università degli Studi, Palermo, Italy.
Lagalla
R
R
Rivas
G
G
Rizzo
S
S
Lo Casto
A
A
La Tona
G
G
Bencivinni
F
F
Caronia
A
A
D000818:Animals; D005399:Fishes; D007558:Italy; D012623:Seawater / Q000032:analysis*; D014878:Water Pollution, Radioactive / Q000032:analysis*