Rapp. Comm. int. Mer Médit., 36,2001
128
Introduction
The aim of this paper was to investigate the contribution of the Tisa
tributary river to the heavy metal and radionuclide concentrations in
the Danube River in Romania, after the gold mining events at Baia
Mare (N-W Romania), in January 2000. Fish species Alburnus albur-
nus, Acipenser ruthenus, Carasius auratus, Cyrinus carpio,
Ctenopharingodon idaella, Pe
rca ?uviatilis, Rutilus rutilus, and
Silurus glaniswere analyzed along with surface water and bed load
sediment samples. The collection sites were: Moldova Noua (km
1073), Bazias (km 1072.4), Port Corabia (km 633), Corabia (km
629.5), and Giurgiu (km 493).
Experimental
Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (AAS) (Varian 250 PLUS spec-
trophotometer) and Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (EDXRF)
methods were used to determine heavy metal concentrations in water
and fish samples, respectively. EDXRF was performed by means of
the
238
Pu and
241
Am excitation sources and an X-ray tube. Man-made
and natural radioactivity was investigated by
?
-ray spectrometry on
sediment, fresh fish, and water residue [1], and by ‚-ray spectrometry
on ashed fish and water samples [2].
238
U content in calcined fish ash
samples was analyzed by fission and alpha track methods [3].
Results and discussion
Table 1 presents Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn, CN- and Cl- con-
centrations in water samples determined by AAS (in µg L
-1
).Tables 2
and 3 include
137
Cs,
226
Ra (
238
U series),
228
Ra (
232
Th series) and
40
K
activity concentrations in sediment (in Bq kg
-1
) and fish samples (in
Bq kg
-1
fresh), respectively.Tables 4 and 5 contain
90
Sr and
238
U
activity concentrations in fish (in Bq kg
-1
fresh), and of
3
H,
137
Cs,
226
Ra,
228
Ra and
40
K in water samples (in Bq L
-1
), respectively.
Detection limits in the tables were calculated with a probability of 3
s
.
It could be observed (Tables 1-5), that the concentration values
obtained are similar to the levels determined in Danube samples dur-
ing the last few years [1, 3-5].
Ag, Ba, Br, Ca, Cd, Cl, Cu, Fe, Ga, K, Mn, Pb, Se, Sn, Sr and Zn
contents of the fish samples were inve
s t
i gated by EDXRF.
Concentrations were found to be similar to those obtained by AAS for
Cd, Cr, Cu Pb and Zn during July1999 - October 2000 [5].
In conclusion, no pollution with heavy metals and man-made
radioactivity was observed in the samples collected along the Danube
River, from Moldova Noua (km 1073, the river mouth in Romania)
downstream to Giurgiu (km 493), about two months after the gold
mining events at Baia Mare.
References
1. Georgescu I.I., Baran Gh.D., Pantelica A.I., Salagean M.N., Scarlat
A.G., 2000. On the radioactivity of water and sediments from the Danube
river significant cross-sections during autumn 1998. NRC-5 Int.
Conference on Nuclear and Radiochemistry, Pontresina, Switzerland,
Sept. 3-8, 2000, pp. 477-479.
2. IAEA, 1989. Measurement of radionuclides in food and environment.
Technical Report Series, No. 285.
3. Georgescu I.I., Ciubotariu M., Danis A., 1992. Fission track
measurements of uranium concentrations and distribution in the mussel
Mytilus galloprovincialisand some macrophytes from the Romanian
Black Sea coast, 1987-1990. Rapp. Comm. int. Mer Médit., 33: 274.
4. Pantelica A.I., Georgescu I.I., Oprica M.H.I., Borcia C.M., 1999.
INAA and chemical analysis of water and sediments sampled in 1996
from the Romanian sector of the Danube river.Czechoslovak Journal of
Physics, 49, Suppl. S1, 331-337.
5.Varduca A., Cernatonii A., Mehedintu E.I., 1999. Danube River
Monitoring. Internal Report of the National Research Institute for
Environment Protection (ICIM) Bucharest.
ON THE CHEMICAL AND RADIOACTIVE CONTENT OF DANUBE RIVER SAMPLES COLLECTED
IN FEBRUARY-MARCH 2000
I.I. Georgescu
1
*, Gh.D. Baran
1
, D.T. Breban
2
,V. Cojocaru
2
, M. Ciubotariu
2
,A. Danis
2
,A.I. Pantelica
2
,V.Gh. Stanescu
1
1
University «Politehnica», Faculty of Industrial Chemistry, Bucharest, Romania
2
National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering "Horia Hulubei", Bucharest, Romania
Abstract
Water, sediment and fish samples collected from the Danube river mouth in Romania (km 1073) to Giurgiu (km 493) were analysed for
heavy metals and radioactivity content. Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn, Cl-, CN-, and
3
H in water, 1
37
Cs,
226
Ra,
228
Ra, and
40
K in
sediments, fish, and water, as well as
90
Sr and
238
U in fish samples have been determined. The results obtained were correlated with the
gold mining events in N-W Romania, in January 2000.
Key words: Danube river, heavy metals, radioactivity, fish, water, sediment.
Sample site/ DateCdCrCuFeMnNiPbZn
km 1031/ 16.02.004534014701665
km 1073/ 23.03.0062211224324318
km 1073/ 29.03. 001001001175010
km 633/ 29.03.00914201465147530
km 493/ 28.03.0014090096424
km 493/ 29.03.00 4158570205715
km 493/ 29.03.00 4431143117577
km 493/ 30.03.00222217242442224
Table 1. Elemental concentrations in Danube water, determined
by AAS
Average concentration values in water samples (in mg L
-1
): 19.162
(Cl
-
), and 0.017 (CN
-
)
Table 2. Activity concentrations in Danube sediments, by
?
-ray
spectrometry (Bq kg
-1
).
Radio-Km 1073/Km 1072.4/Km 633/km 629.5/Km 493/Km 493/Km 493/
Nuclide20.03.0024.03.0029.03.0029.03.0028.03.0029.03.0030.03.00
137
Cs4.4 ± 0.61.8 ± 0.31.4 ± 0.22.4 ± 0.50.6 ± 0.21.6 ± 0.31.6 ± 0.3
226
Ra35.6 ± 1.69.6 ±1.18.5 ± 0.813.3 ±1.312.2 ± 1.113.5 ±1.512.6 ±
1.0
228
Ra 33.4 ± 2.711.6±0.911.9 ±0.716.7 ±1.015.5 ± 1.015.0 ±1.213.6 ±
Table 3. Activity concentrations in Danube fish, by
?
-ray spec-
trometry
Fish species / Sample site
137
Cs
226
Ra
228
Ra
40
K
Carasius auratus
/ km 4930.3 ± 0.3< 0.9< 0.7108 ± 10
Carasius auratus
(scales) / km 4932.3 ±0.8< 5.7< 3.780 ±28
Alburnus alburnus
/ km 493< 0.4< 1.1< 0.8101 ± 10
Table 4.
90
Sr and
238
U activity concentrations in Danube fish
CyrinusPercaSilurusCarasius
Radionuclidecarpio?uviatilisglanis-headauratus
(km1073)(km1073)(km 1073)(km 633)
,
90
Sr< 0.85< 1.152.3 ± 1.0< 1.8
238
U0.40 ± 0.080.22 ± 0.041.03 ± 0.210.33 ± 1.4
Table 5. Activity concentrations in Danube water (Bq L
-1
).
Sample site/ Data
3
H
137
Cs
226
Ra
228
Ra
40
K
Km 1031 /16.02.00< 60.0127±0.0053< 0.018< 0.015< 0.098