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Environmental dose rate distribution along the Romanian Black Sea Shore

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Abstract

The ambient dose rate distribution, measured along the Southern sector of Romanian Black Sea shore, between Vama Veche in South and Chituc sandbank in North gave, with some notable exception, values between 34 and 54 nSv/h, lower than the 90 nSv/h, the average value for Romania. The experimental dose rates increase northward, reaching a maximum in the vicinity the Chituc sandbank, i.e. at the Vadu and Corbu beaches. According to gamma ray measurements performed in the Slanic-Prahova Low-Background Radiation Laboratory on the sand collected from the same location, the natural radionuclides have a major contribution to observes dose rate while the contribution of the anthropogenic 137Cs, 26 years after Chernobyl accident, remains almost negligible. By taking into account both activity concentrations of radionuclides and the contribution of cosmic rays, we have calculated the local values of dose rate, which showed to be, within experimental uncertainties, coincident with the experimental ones. Moreover, on Chituc sandbank, we have noticed the presence of some local maxima, two to three times higher than the average ones. Further investigations showed an increased content of natural radionuclides, most probably accumulated in the heavy minerals fraction—a common occurrence in the vicinity of Danube Delta.

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Acknowledgments

This work was done within the BS ERA NET 041 project in the frame of BS-ERA.NET Pilot Joint CAll 2010/2011. We wish to thank Ms. Mariana Marinescu for her help in reviewing the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Horia Hulubei National Institute of R&D for Physics and Nuclear Engineering, P.O. Box MG-06, 077125, Magurele, Ilfov, Romania

    R. M. Margineanu, Ana Maria Blebea-Apostu, Claudia Gomoiu & S. Bercea

  2. Department of Structure of Matter, Earth and Atmospheric Physics and Astrophysics, University of Bucharest, P.O. Box MG-11, 077125, Magurele, Ilfov, Romania

    O. G. Duliu

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  1. R. M. Margineanu
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  2. O. G. Duliu
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  3. Ana Maria Blebea-Apostu
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  4. Claudia Gomoiu
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  5. S. Bercea
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Correspondence to O. G. Duliu.

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Margineanu, R.M., Duliu, O.G., Blebea-Apostu, A.M. et al. Environmental dose rate distribution along the Romanian Black Sea Shore. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 298, 1191–1196 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-013-2545-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10967-013-2545-4

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