Assessment of Be-7, Pb-210 and Po-210 activities in airborne particulate matter over Istanbul, Turkiye

Abstract

Airborne particulate matter is one of the air pollutants which can have detrimental health effects in the human body. Radionuclides adsorb onto air particles and make their way to humans primarily through inhalation. Naturally-occurring radionuclides, Pb-210 and Po-210, are of notable health concern due to their relatively elevated ingestion and inhalation doses. In the current study, activity concentrations of Be-7, Pb-210 and Po-210 were determined in air particulate matter (PM). PM2.5 was collected on the European side, while PM10 was collected on the Anatolian side of Istanbul. Be-7, Pb-210 and( 210)Po activities were found to be 5.17 +/- 2.35, 0.96 +/- 0.42; 0.25 +/- 0.14 mBq m(-3) in Anatolian side, respectively. Be-7, Pb-210 and( 210)Po activities were found to be 3.81 +/- 2.27, 0.62 +/- 0.29, 0.29 +/- 0.26, mBq m(-3 )in European side, respectively. The ratio of Po-210/Pb-210 was found to be higher (0.47 +/- 0.31 for PM2.5 and 0.34 +/- 0.27 for PM10) than the global average of 0.1. This result can be explained by the fact that Po is more volatile than Pb and enhanced in the air by the combustion process. Inhalation dose rates of Pb-210 and Po-210 due to PM10 exposure were calculated to be 7.70 +/- 3.30 and 4.05 +/- 2.31 mu Sv year(-1), respectively. Pb-210 bioaccessibility was assessed by the extraction of the particles in simulated lung fluids. Approximately 24.8% of inhaled Pb-210 was estimated to be bioaccessible. This study suggests that Po-210 and( 210)Pb activities are partially enhanced in the air particles in Istanbul and should be regularly monitored.