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210Pb concentration in marine sediments of the Cariaco Trench (North-East of Venezuela) was measured through the analysis of 210Po alpha emissions, which can be assumed to be in secular equilibrium with 210Pb. The analysed sediment core has a length of 1.9 m. The results allowed to apply the CF:CS dating model (Constant Flux and Constant Supply). The sedimentation rate was estimated to be 0.25 cm/y. As far as we know this is the first α- dating carried out in the country, performed with an alpha spectrometer recently funded by the IAEA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The estuary formed by the confluence of Tinto and Odiel river-mouths is located in the South of Spain, close to Huelva town. This estuary has been deeply studied through the years because it has a double particularity. On one hand, since the beginning of the 1960s, the estuary has been affected by direct and indirect phosphogypsum (pg.) releases from two phosphoric acid and fertilizers factories that are working in the area. On the other hand, the pyrite mining operations upstream the Odiel and Tinto rivers has caused historically the formation of H2SO4, through oxidation of the natural sulphur deposits, the acidification of the waters and the consequent mobilisation of heavy metals from the mining area to the Huelva estuary. As a consequence, enhancement contamination levels in natural emitters from the 238U series were found in the surroundings of the factories in the previous years to 1998. However, in 1998 the management policy of waste releases drastically changed in the area, and direct discharges to Tinto and Odiel River had to be ceased. A thorough study of the affected zone is being carried out. Riverbed sediments and water samples have been analyzed from four different sampling campaigns in the estuary during the years 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2005. Different radioanalytical techniques have been employed to obtain the activity concentrations of U-isotopes, Th-isotopes, 226Ra, 210Pb and 210Po. Furthermore, the results for the rates of de-contamination of the area are presented. This data will be discussed in order to establish the present status of the contamination in the area, and moreover, to predict the time-evolution of the self-cleaning [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liquid scintillation counting (LSC) is an easy and straightforward technique, and combined with its low limit of detection, makes it a powerful tool for both routine and low level measurements that can be applied to 210Pb low level counting in environmental samples. 210Pb can be easily measured following a sulphate co-precipitation method; the addition of a carrier and the weighing of the recovered amount is a widespread technique to evaluate radiochemical yield, however, this evaluation of the recovery is sometimes questioned. The samples employed in this work were recollected in 1999 and 2005 from the estuary of the Odiel and Tinto rivers (SW of Spain), which were affected by phosphogypsum (pg.) discharges until 1998. Phosphogypsum contains most of the 210Pb from the treated raw material, for that reason analysed riverbed sediments have enhanced 210Pb activity concentrations and hence, enhanced activity concentration of its daughter 210Po, both in secular equilibrium after two years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]