Abstract
as one of the benthic foraminifer's genera were collected from three coastal lagoons (Abu Shaar, Umm al-Huwaytāt, and Marsa Shūni) on the Egyptian Red Sea coast and investigated for their
Ra,
Th, and
K content using HPGe gamma-ray spectrometry.
shells show high radioactivity levels with average activity concentration values of 251.8 ± 18.3, 86.8 ± 7.7, and 791.2 ± 57.6 Bq kg
, 327.1 ± 11.4, 97.4 ± 7.1, and 751.6 ± 54.7 Bq kg
, 246.6 ± 17.7, 65.1 ± 4.8, and 477.6 ± 34.8 Bq kg
for
Ra,
Th, and
K in the samples from Abu Shaar, Umm al-Huwaytāt, and Marsa Shūni, respectively.
Ra and
K have a high tendency to accumulate in
compared to
Th. High bioaccumulation of the studied radionuclides was found for samples from Umm al-Huwaytāt and Abu Shaar lagoons. Radiological parameters such as radium equivalent activity, gamma absorbed dose rate in air, and outdoor annual effective dose were calculated, and values higher than the permissible limits were obtained. Based on the obtained results, the estimation of radioactivity levels in
shells may serve as an indicator of marine environment pollution.