Prediction of I-131 Influence in the Aegean Region by Chernobyl Accident Using the Ratio of I-129/I-127 in the Lake Sediments

Abstract

After the Chernobyl accident, as in many countries, the short half-life I-131 radioactivity could not be measured in Turkey-Aegean Region. By using Cs-137 radioactivity, which is easy to monitor, I-131 radioactivity was tried to be predicted, but it was thought that the results obtained by these two radioisotopes because of their different chemical properties would not be correct. In this study I-129 was studied to predict the retrospective I-131 radioactivity. I-129, another iodine radioisotope, was thought to be more appropriate as a predictive agent because of the same chemical properties as I-131 and also its long half-life. I-129 was measured in the Bafa Lake sediments by using microwave digestion, extraction and AMS methods and retrospective I-131 activity was predicted. As a result, it was found that I-131 radioactivity values in Bafa Lake habitat is between 9.78x10-3 Bqkg-1 and 1.02x10-2 Bqkg-1 and the accuracy of the method used has been proved.

Keywords

• Chernobyl accident
• Bafa Lake
• I-129
• I-131
• AMS
• lake sediment

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