1. Anthropogenic source assessment of Ra and Pb in a sediment core from the Cubatão River estuary (SE Brazil).
- Author
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Sanders, L., Sanders, C., Luiz-Silva, W., Machado, W., Silva-Filho, E., and Patchineelam, S.
- Subjects
- *
ANTHROPOGENIC effects on nature , *RADIUM , *LEAD , *SEDIMENTS , *ESTUARIES , *RADIOACTIVITY , *RADIOISOTOPES - Abstract
sediment core from an estuarine area receiving drainage from the highly industrialized Cubatão River basin (SE Brazil) showed Ra and Pb activities up to 80 and 213 Bq kg, respectively, which are greater than activities considered as regional background levels. Radionuclides and the elevated phosphorus concentrations (up to 0.3% sediment dry weight) found along the sediment core were significantly correlated with each other, indicating source similarity. These results indicate that Ra and Pb activities are affected by fertilizer industry-derived inputs in addition to natural sources. This interpretation was supported by Pb/Ra ratios (found to be between 2.6 and 3.9) that indicate disequilibrium between Ra and its decay product Pb, as expected for phosphogypsum-affected sediments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2011
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