Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Nuclear Engineering, University of Dhaka, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
  • 2 Health Physics Division, Atomic Energy Centre, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh. Electronic address: mahfuzsiraz1985@yahoo.com
  • 3 Department of Nuclear Engineering, Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology, Chattogram 4349, Bangladesh
  • 4 Geological Survey of Bangladesh, Segunbaghicha, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
  • 5 Applied Physics and Radiation Technologies Group, CCDCU, School of Engineering and Technology, Sunway University, 47500 Bandar Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia; Faculty of Graduate Studies, Daffodil International University, Daffodil Smart City, Birulia, Savar, Dhaka 1216, Bangladesh
  • 6 Department of Radiological Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taif University, 21944 Taif, Saudi Arabia
  • 7 Department of Physics, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia
  • 8 Health Physics Division, Atomic Energy Centre, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh
Mar Pollut Bull, 2024 May;202:116349.
PMID: 38604081 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116349

Abstract

Coastal Mangroves are facing growing threats due to the harmful consequences of human activities. This first-ever detailed study of natural radioactivity in soil samples collected from seven tourist destinations within the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest, was conducted using HPGe gamma-ray spectrometry. Although the activity levels of 226Ra (11 ± 1-44 ± 4 Bq/kg) and 232Th (13 ± 1-68 ± 6 Bq/kg) generally align with global averages, the concentration of 40K (250 ± 20-630 ± 55 Bq/kg) was observed to surpass the worldwide average primarily due to factors like salinity intrusion, fertilizer application, agricultural runoff, which suggests the potential existence of potassium-rich mineral resources near the study sites. The assessment of the hazard parameters indicates that the majority of these parameters are within the recommended limits. The soil samples do not pose a significant radiological risk to the nearby population. The results of this study can establish important radiological baseline data before the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant begins operating in Bangladesh.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.