The Malaysian Journal of Analytical Sciences Vol 12 No 1 (2008): 142 – 149

 

 

PERLAKUAN ISOTOP URANIUM DI PERAIRAN PANTAI TIMUR SEMENANJUNG MALAYSIA: PENENTUAN NISBAH KEAKTIFAN

²³⁴U/²³⁸U

 

Zal U’yun Wan Mahmood, Zaharudin Ahmad, Abd. Kadir Ishak, Yii Mei Wo,Norfaizal Mohamed,

Jalal Sharib@ Sarip, Kamarozaman Ishak, Azlina Shafie

 

Kumpulan Radiokimia dan Alam Sekitar Bahagian Teknologi Industri

Agensi Nuklear Malaysia,Bangi, 43000 Kajang, Malaysia

 

Abstract

The determination of uranium isotopes activity concentration and their distributions in the seawater and  surface sediment along the coastal area of the East Coast of Malaysia Peninsular have been performed using alpha  spectrometry counting system. The sampling of both seawater and surface sediment for this study was carried out in August 2003 as part of the Marine  Radioactivity  Database  Development  Project  for  Malaysia.  This  results  show  that  the  distribution  of  uranium radionuclides (²³⁴U and ²³⁸U) in seawater and surface sediment is not consistent, their activities are fluctuated depending on the sampling locations. Generally, the ²³⁴U and ²³⁸U activities measured in the seawater are in the range of 2.94 – 45.80 and 2.12 – 38.10 Bq.m^-3_, respectively, whilst in the surface sediment they are in the range of 28.00 – 60.05 and 25.15 – 55.15 Bq.kg^-1  dry weight, respectively. In general, the activity ratios of ²³⁴U/²³⁸U at all sampling locations are nearly uniform in the range of 1.08 – 1.39 for seawater and 1.01 – 1.12 for surface sediment. These ratios are comparable with those found in published literatures.

 

Key words:  Uranium; marine environment; coastal area of the East Coast of Malaysia Peninsular; sediment; seawater

 

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