Vol. 8, 2023

Aerosol Radioactivity

CHARACTERIZATION OF AIRBORNE RADIOACTIVITY IN URBAN KUWAIT: ACTIVITY CONCENTRATION OF SELECTED RADIONUCLIDES

Anfal Ismaeel, Abdulaziz Aba, Abdullah Al-Dabbous, Mariam Malak, Aishah Al-Boloushi, Hanadi Al-Shammari, Omar Al-Boloushi

Pages: 84-87

DOI: 10.37392/RapProc.2023.17

High-volume air samples (approximately 1800 m3) were collected from three residential areas in Kuwait with different surrounding activities (Al-Jahra, Rumaithiya, and Ahmadi) using high-volume air samplers connected to a three-stage cascade impactor. Sampling duration was three days, and the samples were collected weekly over a period of one year. Low background gamma spectrometry and chemical separation methods were used to determine the concentrations of 7Be,40K, 210Pb, and 210Po in three particle sizes: 0.41 to 0.73 μm, 0.73 to 2.4 μm, and 2.4 to 10.2 μm. Results indicated that most of the activity was concentrated on the fine particle size fractions, except for 40K, which suggests the influence of local dust sources. The activity concentration values of 210Pb, 7Be, and 40K were consistent across all cities, while the 210Po activity concentration was lower in the Al-Jahra area. Also, the ratios of 210Po/210Pb activity concentrations differ across locations; they were higher in the Ahmadi and Rumaithiya areas compared to Al-Jahra.
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