Radionuclides and Potentially Toxic Elements in Sediments from the Northern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast

Abstract

This paper presents data on the content of toxic elements (Mn, Ni, Zn, Cu, Pb, As, Cr, Cd and Co), technogenic (¹³⁷Cs, ¹³⁴Cs) and natural radionuclides of the ²³⁸U and ²³²Th series (²³⁴Th, ²²⁶Ra, ²¹⁰Pb, ²³²Th) and ⁴⁰K in sediments collected from ten sampling stations along the northern Bulgarian Black Sea coast for a period of more than twenty years. Measurements were made by Gamma Spectrometry and Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry. The results show that the nuclides and toxic elements concentration in sediments strongly depend on the sediments nature. The obtained data create a database on the concentrations of radionuclides and toxic elements in sediments from the Northern Bulgarian Black Sea coast and can be used for assessment of the ecological status of the marine environment along the whole northern coastal zone.