Distributions of Pb-210 around a uraniferous coal-fired power plant in Western Turkey

In the present study the spatial and the vertical distributions of Pb-210 were investigated in the soils around a uranifereous coal fired power plant (CPP) in Yatagan Basin, in Western Turkey. The variation of Ra-226 activity along the soil profiles was studied to assess the unsupported Pb-210 distribution in the same samples. Ra-226 was measured by gamma spectroscopy and Pb-210 activities were determined from Po-210 activities using radiochemical deposition and alpha spectroscopy. The total Pb-210 activity concentrations in bulk core samples varied in the range of 38-250 Bq kg(-1) in the study sites and of 22-78 Bq kg(-1) in reference site. In the sectioned cores sampled from the study areas the ranges for activity concentrations of Ra-226, total Pb-210 and unsupported Pb-210 are 24-77; 39-344 and 4-313 Bq kg(-1), respectively. Corresponding ranges for reference site are 37-39; 39-122 and 1-83 Bq kg(-1).