Radiobiological effect of monazite and black sands on the survival and sensitivity of ovotestis of Biomphalaria Alexandrina snails

The effect of radiation emitted from the naturally occurring mineral monazite and its mother ore black sand on Biomphalaria Alexandrina snails was investigated by a survival count and an ovotestis sensitivity assay. Monazite - a phosphate of thorium and rare earths with a small amount of uranium -contains all decay products of thorium and uranium, which are alpha, beta and/or gamma emitters. The radiological impact on the fauna and flora in the vicinity of sites where black sands exist and where monazite is produced or processed is the object of a wide research programme, of which the present work is the first part. There are large resources of black sands in Egypt in the Rosetta region where the Rosetta branch of the Nile Delta meets the Mediterranean Sea. 3 refs, 1 tab