Measurement of Artificial Radionuclides in Some Marine Plants and Sediments from the Sudanese Red Sea Coast

The activity concentration of fallout radionuclides v.z.,238Pu, 239+240Pu, 241Am and 137Cs has been measured in some species of multicellular marine algae, sea grass and surface sediments collected from the fringing reef area adjacent to PortSudan harbour. The measurements were carried out using alpha-particle spectrometry and a high-resolution gamma spectrometry. In the sediments analyzed, the activity concentration averaged 2.65 (238Pu),47,96(239+240Pu), 19.1 (241Am), and 272.6 (137Cs) mBq/KXg dry weight. Activity concentration ratios fall within the range of 0.03-0.15 (238Pu: 239+240Pu), 0.09-0.39 (239+240Pu: 137Cs), and 0.29-0.65 (241Am:239+240Pu). These values are typical of those reported in the literature from the regions not affected directly by nuclear accidents or nuclear reprocessing plant discharges and can thus be attributed to global fallout. Marine algae showed high levels of 137Cs: 774 mBq/KXg (brown algae), 771 (red algae) and 369 (green algae), which seem to confirm that algae are responsive to the soluble phase of constituents in the ambient medium more than the elements associated to particulate matter