Determination of ²¹⁰Po and ²¹⁰Pb depositions in lichen and soil samples collected from Köprübaşı- Manisa, Turkey

Determination of 210 Po and 210 Pb depositions in lichen and soil samples collected from Köprübaşı- Manisa, Turkey 1 corresp first-author Corresponding author e-mail address: Sermin.cam@cbu.edu.tr Corresponding author e-mail address: Sermin.cam@cbu.edu.tr Sermin.cam@cbu.edu.tr 2 3 4 Department of Physics, Faculty of Sciences and Arts, Manisa Celal Bayar University, Manisa 45140, Turkey Department of Physics, Faculty of Sciences and Arts, Manisa Celal Bayar University, Manisa 45140, Turkey Science Education, Faculty of Education, Manisa Celal Bayar University, Manisa 45900, Turkey Science Education, Faculty of Education, Manisa Celal Bayar University, Manisa 45900, Turkey Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences and Arts, Manisa Celal Bayar University, Manisa 45140, Turkey Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences and Arts, Manisa Celal Bayar University, Manisa 45140, Turkey Primary School Science Teaching, Duzce University, Manisa 81620, Turkey Primary School Science Teaching, Duzce University, Manisa 81620, Turkey In this study, we aimed to determine the accumulations of 210 Po and 210 Pb in soil and lichen samples in Köprübaşı. The Köprübaşı district is home to the largest uranium deposits in Turkey. To date, there has been no study recorded in the literature related to 210 Po and 210 Pb depositions in lichens in Köprübaşı. Six different lichen species ( Cladonia convoluta, Parmelina tiliacea, Physcia stellaris, Pleurosticta acetabulum, Xanthoparmelia conspersa and Xanthoria parietina) as well as soil samples were collected from seven sampling locations around Köprübaşı. Lichens were used as biomonitors for 210 Po and 210 Pb deposition. The 210 Po and 210 Pb activity concentrations were measured in all the samples by alpha spectrometry. The activity concentrations in the lichen samples ranged from 64 to 577 Bq.kg -1 with an average of 266 Bq.kg -1 for 210 Po and from 78 to 565 Bq.kg -1 with an average of 333 Bq.kg -1 for 210 Pb. The activity ratios of 210 Po/ 210 Pb ranged from 0.80 to 1.99. In the lichen species, the mean 210 Po activity values varied from 154 Bq.kg -1 in Pleurosticta acetabulum to 390 Bq.kg -1 in Xanthoparmelia conspersa. The range of the mean 210 Pb activity was between 153 Bq.kg -1 in Cladonia convoluta and 378 Bq.kg -1 in Parmelina tiliacea . In the soil samples, 210 Po and 210 Pb activity concentrations were ranged from 14 to 1268 Bq.kg -1 and from 19 to 1113 Bq.kg -1 , respectively. While the values of 210 Po and 210 Pb measured in the lichen samples are comparable with those of the literature, the results of 210 Po and 210 Pb in the soil taken from the uranium mine are higher than the results of the literature studies. 210 Po 210 Pb Manisa Lichen 1. Introduction 1 Lichens are symbiotic units formed from fungi and algae [ 1 1 ]. They have no roots or specialized structures for water and gas exchange. They need only a few nutrients and grow relatively slowly. They are perennial and live in various growth places (on soil, rocks, mosses, and trees) [ 2 2 ]. They can only live in places with clean air. They show a susceptibility to dirty air and are therefore a good indicator t o imply whether the air of an area is clean or not [ 3 3 ]. Lichens have the ability to effectively accumulate a high level of different pollutants (SO 2 , NO 2 , ozone, heavy metals, and radionuclides) from the environment. They can be used as biomonitors of air pollution [ 4 4 ] because they highly depend on the atmospheric deposition for nutrients and easily collect pollutants in their thallus in line with atmospheric concentrations [ 4 4 - 5 5 4-5 ]. Since the lichens absorb 210 Po from the air they act as bioindicators for determining the amount of 210 Po in the atmosphere of that region. 210 Po is the decay product of 210 Pb in the 238 U decay series. It widely spreads in nature, the atmosphere and oceans. 210 Po has short half-life (t 1/2, 138.4 days), but it stays in the atmosphere for a long time because of its parent radionuclides [ 210 Pb (t 1/2 =22.3 years), 226 Ra (t 1/2 = 1602 years], which have long half-lives. Therefore, the amount of 210 Po in nature depends largely on the amount of 210 Pb [ 6 6 ]. 222 Rn emanation from the earth surface into the atmosphere is the main source of 210 Po. It travels back to the earth surface as attached to airborne particles [ 7 7 ]. Uranium mines are also sources [ 8 8 ]. Extra atmospheric 210 Po can originate from the external sources, such as volcanic emissions, inflow of air, and anthropogenic emissions, e.g., emission from coal combustion, waste discharge from the gas, phosphate, and oil industries [ 7 7 , 9 9 ]. 210 Po decays directly to 206 Pb by emitting an alpha particle with 5.30 MeV energy [ 6 6 , 7 7 , 9 9 ]. Alpha particles are the most dangerous radiation type and are 400 times more radioactive than uranium. They have a low energy; therefore, they do not pass through a human skin, but easily permeate into the body from the respiratory tract, mouth or open wounds in the skin and pass through living cells [ 9 9 ]. If 210 Po is taken inside the body, large part of ingested 210 Po passes through the gastrointestinal tract within a few days. It is excreted with the feces. The retained 210 Po passes into the blood, it is stored by the soft tissue including the bone marrow. The biologic half-life of 210 Po is almost 50 days [ 10 10 ]. 210 Po and other radon products inhaled from air can lead to lung cancer. Moreover, when 210 Po is ingested it is hazardous to human health [ 9 9 ]. Radiation doses occurring in humans increase the risk of cancer. Very high radiation doses cause damage to the tissue and organs and overdoses can be fatal. Studies on 210 Po in the environment are important as tracing the atmospheric emissions in populated areas is related to human health [ 9 9 ]. There have been several studies related to 210 Po and 210 Pb depositions using lichens [ 1 1 , 6 6 , 11 11 - 14 14 11-14 ]. However, no study has been performed on the lichens radioactivity in Köprübaşı-Manisa. In the present study, we determined 210 Po and 210 Pb activity concentrations in lichen and soil samples collected from the Köprübaşı district of Manisa. The determination of 210 Po and 210 Pb accumulations in the studied area is important in determining the environmental pollution and the radiation exposure of the inhabitants. 2. Materials and methods 1 2.1. Study area 2 Köprübaşı district is located 120 km northeast of Manisa in the Aegean region of Turkey. It is bordered by Gördes in the northwest, Demirci in the northeast, Gölmarmara in the west, Demirköprü Dam in the southeast, Salihli in the southwest, Kula and Alaşehir in the south, and Selendi in the east. Köprübaşı is located at 38°44’N latitude and 28°24’E longitude. It has a surface area of 447 km 2 . The Dibek Mountains are in the southwest of the district, the Çanak Mountains in the northeast, and Kayran Mountains in the north [ 15 15 ]. The elevation of Köprübaşı is 250 m. It has a Mediterranean climate with hot and dry summers, and rainy and mild winters. According to the General Directorate of Mineral Research and Exploration of Turkey (MTA) inventory of mining in the Aegean region, the Köprübaşı area contains marble, feldspar, phosphate, sulfur, titanium and zeolite deposits [ 16 16 ]. There are also uranium deposits in fluvial sedimentary rocks. The Köprübaşı uranium deposit was discovered by MTA in 1961 [ 17 17 ]. It is the largest known uranium deposit in Turkey [ 18 18 ]. Apatite, biotite, feldspar, ilmenite-magnetite, muscovite, quartz, rutile, tourmaline, and zircon minerals are found in Köprübaşı uranium deposits [ 19 19 ]. In this work, lichen and soil samples were collected from seven sampling locations in Köprübaşı in July 2013. The sampling locations are shown in Fig. 1 Fig. 1 . The lichen samples were collected from the surfaces of trees and then placed into the paper bags after wrapping in paper towels. The sampling locations, location number, date, type of substrate, altitude, and coordinate information determined by Garmin brand GPS devices were noted. Soil samples were also obtained at each of the locations. 2.2. Determination of 210 Po and 210 Pb activity concentrations 2 The inessential materials were cleaned from each sample in the laboratory. Samples were dried at room temperature and then grinded and sieved. One gram of sample was weighed and concentrated acids (HNO 3 and H 2 O 2 ) were added, before leaving the samples overnight. The following day, the solution was heated on a hot plate and evaporated to dryness. Mixed acids (HNO 3 and HCl) were added to the dried residue. The solution was then evaporated to dryness again by heating on a hot plate. This process was repeated a total of four times. After evaporation, 0.5 M HCl acid was added to the dry residue. The solution was filtered with filter paper (particle retention 10-15 µm, 125 mm diameter, 84 g.m -2 weight). Ascorbic acid was added to the solution to reduce Fe 3+ . A copper disc of diameter 2.5 cm was prepared. 210 Po was spontaneously accumulated onto the copper disc at 70 °C for 5 h. The 210 Po accumulated onto the copper disc was counted for 5 h with an alpha spectrometer equipped with a PIPS detector placed in a vacuum chamber connected to a 1024 multichannel analyzer (Canberra). The energy resolution was ≤ 20 keV with a detector source spacing equal to the detector diameter. The detector efficiency was ≥ 25% of the detector source spacing of ≤ 10 mm. The background was ≤ 1 count/hour above 3 MeV. The system calibration was performed with an 241 Am point source. The measurement of 210 Po was performed using the alpha particle emission peak with 5.30 MeV energy, using 209 Po as the internal tracer (National Institute of Standards & Technology, SRM 4326 consists of radioactive polonium-209 chloride and hydrochloric acid dissolved in 5ml of distilled water. The solution mass was 5.160 ± 0.003 g. It is enclosed in a flame sealed NIST borosilicate glass ampoule. The 209 Po massic activity of the solution was 85.42 Bq.g -1 ). In this study, the chemical efficiency was calculated as 37.7% using the 209 Po standard. The total efficiency was found to be 102%. The 210 Po activity concentration for each sample was corrected for recovery using the total efficiency. The 210 Pb activity measurement was performed indirectly from its measured product 210 Po activity after reaching radioactive equilibrium. The 210 Pb and 210 Po isotopes reached secular equilibrium at least six months after the first 210 Po electro-deposition. At this time, 210 Po grew from the 210 Pb of the sample. The 210 Po deposition in the lichen samples for the 210 Pb activity was collected on the cupper discs at 70 °C for 5 h and counted for 5 h by the alpha spectrometer. The 210 Pb activity concentration from the measured 210 Po activity in the analyzed samples was calculated by the Bateman equation [ 20 20 ]. <math id="M1"><mrow><msub><mi>A</mi><mn>0</mn></msub><msup><mo stretchy="false">(</mo><mrow><mn>210</mn></mrow></msup><mtext>Pb</mtext><mo stretchy="false">)</mo><mo>=</mo><mfrac><mrow><msub><mi>A</mi><mn>2</mn></msub><msup><mo stretchy="false">(</mo><mrow><mn>210</mn></mrow></msup><mtext>Po</mtext><mo stretchy="false">)</mo></mrow><mrow><mn>1</mn><mo>−</mo><msup><mi>e</mi><mrow><mo>−</mo><mi>λ</mi><mo stretchy="false">(</mo><msub><mi>t</mi><mn>2</mn></msub><mo>−</mo><msub><mi>t</mi><mrow><mn>1</mn><mo stretchy="false">)</mo></mrow></msub></mrow></msup></mrow></mfrac></mrow></math> , where A o ( 210 Pb) is the activity of a sample during the collection time, A 2 ( 210 Po) is the activity of 210 Po ingrown from 210 Pb after the second electro-deposition, t 1 is the time between the sample collection time and the first 210 Po activity measurement, t 2 is the time between the sample collection date and the second 210 Po activity measurement, and λ is the decay constant of 210 Po [ 20 20 ]. 2.3. Determination of gamma radioactivity in soil samples 2 The soil samples collected from the seven sampling locations in Köprübaşı were milled and dried in an oven in the laboratory, before being sieved and weighed at 100 g in a polyethylene beaker. They were tightly closed and stored for as a minimum of four weeks to permit the 238 U and 232 Th to arrive at equilibrium with their decay products. The gamma measurements were performed by a gamma ray spectrometer using a 3x3 inch NaI(Tl) (ORTEC-905-4) detector. The system calibration was made with standard samples (52 % K, 625 ppm eU and 150 ppm eTh) under appropriate conditions. The best available resolution was < 7.5% for the gamma peak of 137 Cs (662 keV). The activity concentrations for 40 K, 238 U, and 232 Th were evaluated from the radioactive potassium peak (1.46 MeV), the 214 Bi peak (1.76 MeV), and the 208 Tl peak (2.61 MeV), respectively. All the samples were counted for 7200 s. The 40 K, 238 U and 232 Th activities were then calculated. 3. Results and discussion 1 3.1. Results of 210 Po and 210 Pb activity concentrations in samples 2 The 17 lichen samples of six different species ( Cladonia convoluta, Parmelina tiliacea, Physcia stellaris , Pleurosticta acetabulum, Xanthoparmelia conspersa and Xanthoria parietina) and seven soil samples were collected from seven sampling locations in Köprübaşı district. The lichen species are presented in Fig 2 Fig 2 . The results of the 210 Po and 210 Pb activity measured in the samples, according to sampling location, are presented in Table 1 Table 1 . 2 1 Samples (n: sample number) 2 1 Location 1 2 1 Location 2 2 1 Location 3 2 1 Location 4 2 1 Location 5 2 1 Location 6 2 1 Location 7 1 1   1 1   1 1 210 Po 1 1 210 Pb 1 1 210 Po 1 1 210 Pb 1 1 210 Po 1 1 210 Pb 1 1 210 Po 1 1 210 Pb 1 1 210 Po 1 1 210 Pb 1 1 210 Po 1 1 210 Pb 1 1 210 Po 1 1 210 Pb 2 1 Lichen Species 1 1   1 1 Cladonia convoluta (n: 2) 1 1 138 1 1 105 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1 328 1 1 201 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1   1 1 Parmelina tiliacea, (n: 2) 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1 504 1 1 565 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1 176 1 1 190 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1   1 1 Physcia stellaris (n: 3) 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1 222 1 1 270 1 1 331 1 1 378 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1 66 1 1 79 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1   1 1 Pleurosticta acetabulum (n: 2) 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1 194 1 1 215 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1 114 1 1 143 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1   1 1 Xanthoparmelia conspersa (n: 2) 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1 290 1 1 256 1 1 489 1 1 457 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1   1 1 Xanthoria parietina (n: 6) 1 1 577 1 1 493 1 1 ─ 1 1 ─ 1 1 245 1 1 267 1 1 64 1 1 78 1 1 171 1 1 144 1 1 148 1 1 154 1 1 450 1 1 227 2 1 Soil Samples 1 1   1 1 (n: 7) 1 1 45 1 1 51 1 1 53 1 1 55 1 1 1268 1 1 1113 1 1 24 1 1 40 1 1 14 1 1 22 1 1 19 1 1 24 1 1 21 1 1 19 At location 1, according to Table 1 Table 1 , there were two different lichen species and the highest 210 Po and 210 Pb activities of 577 Bq.kg -1 and 493 Bq.kg -1 , respectively, were obtained in Xanthoria parietina . These values were the highest activities among all lichen samples. In location 2, while the highest value for 210 Po was obtained as 290 Bq.kg -1 in Xanthoparmelia conspersa , the highest value for 210 Pb was calculated as 270 Bq.kg -1 in Physcia stellaris . There were six different lichen species in location 3 where the Kasar uranium deposit is located. The highest activities for 210 Po and 210 Pb of 504 Bq.kg -1 and 565 Bq.kg -1 , respectively, were obtained for Parmelina tiliacea. In location 4, there was only one lichen species, namely Xanthoria parietina. In location 5, there were three different lichen types, with the highest obtained activities for 210 Po (171 Bq.kg -1 ) and 210 Pb (144 Bq.kg -1 ) in Xanthoria parietina . In location 6, the highest activities for 210 Po (176 Bq.kg -1 ) and 210 Pb (190 Bq.kg -1 ) were detected in Parmelina tiliacea . In location 7, there was only one lichen species. The activities of 210 Po and 210 Pb in Xanthoria parietina were 450 Bq.kg -1 and 227 Bq.kg -1 , respectively. The polonium accumulation is also affected by such factors as the age, health, and type of the lichen species, including their positions on trees, surface structure [ 21 21 ], altitudes where the lichens grow, and meteorological conditions (wind and rain). The mean annual rainfall of Köprübaşı is 575.8 mm and average annual temperatures range from 4.1 to 27.3 °C in 2013. Xanthoria parietina is the most common lichen species and was found at all locations except for location 2. It was assumed to be the most suitable bioindicator for pollution in the study area due to its high capture efficiency, geographical and climatic suitability, and common occurrence. While the 210 Po activity levels in soil samples collected from six locations, except for location 3, varied between 14 and 53 Bq.kg -1 , the 210 Pb activity levels ranged from 19 to 55 Bq.kg -1 . It can be seen that the activity concentration in the samples in location 3 (1268 Bq.kg -1 for 210 Po and 1113 Bq.kg -1 for 210 Pb) were higher than in the samples from the other locations. Uranium mining had previous occurred in this area (location 3). In the other locations, 210 Po and 210 Pb concentrations in the soil samples were lower than those for lichen. This implies that lichens do not feed from the soil as they do not have roots and are affected by atmospheric fallouts. The 210 Po and 210 Pb activities in the lichen and soil samples in this study were compared with those in the literature in Table 2 Table 2 . In the study, the mean 210 Po and 210 Pb activity levels in the lichen samples were similar to those of similar studies in the literature. The 210 Po/ 210 Pb ratio in the present study was found to be unity, implying the equilibrium between the 210 Po and 210 Pb radioisotopes. The 210 Po measured in lichens originates from 210 Pb, which is its parent in the uranium chain. 1 1 Study area 3 1 Lichen 3 1 Soil 1 1 Reference 1 1   1 1 210 Po 1 1 210 Pb 1 1 210 Po/ 210 Pb 1 1 210 Po 1 1 210 Pb 1 1 210 Po/ 210 Pb 1 1   1 1 Norway 1 1 70-212 1 1 - 1 1 - 1 1 - 1 1 - 1 1 - 1 1 [ 13 13 ] 1 1   1 1 (140.5) 1 1 India 1 1 - 1 1 - 1 1 - 1 1 6.6-35.3 1 1 11.7-85.7 1 1 0.1-1.5 1 1 [ 22 22 ] 1 1   1 1   1 1   1 1   1 1 (19.3) 1 1 (38.5) 1 1 (0.45) 1 1 Norway 1 1 39-137.5 1 1 150-188 1 1 0.3-0.7 1 1 36.9-42.87 1 1 39.4-46.05 1 1 0.86-1 1 1 [ 12 12 ] 1 1   1 1 (88.3) 1 1 (169) 1 1 (0.5) 1 1 (39.8) 1 1 (42.7) 1 1 (0.9) 1 1 Hungary 1 1 - 1 1 - 1 1 - 1 1 37-184 1 1 - 1 1 - 1 1 [ 7 7 ] 1 1   1 1   1 1   1 1   1 1 (85.3) 1 1 Turkey-Emendere 1 1 185 1 1 - 1 1 - 1 1 66 1 1 - 1 1 - 1 1 [ 14 14 ] 1 1 Turkey-Çan 1 1 98.4-206.1 1 1 153.6-326.4 1 1 0.5-0.78 1 1 42.8-135.7 1 1 30.8-177.6 1 1 0.62-1.86 1 1 [ 11 11 ] 1 1   1 1 (161.6) 1 1 (259.1) 1 1 (0.6) 1 1 (79.9) 1 1 (91.5) 1 1 (0.87) 1 1 Western Turkey 1 1 151-593 1 1 97-360 1 1 - 1 1 - 1 1 - 1 1 - 1 1 [ 23 23 ] 1 1   1 1 (378) 1 1 (233) 1 1 Western Turkey 1 1 117-569 1 1 84-291 1 1 1.39-2.33 1 1 - 1 1 - 1 1 - 1 1 [ 1 1 ] 1 1   1 1 (365) 1 1 (206) 1 1 (1.7) 1 1 Köprübaşı-Turkey 1 1 154-390 1 1 153-378 1 1 0.79-1.98 1 1 14-1268 1 1 19-1113 1 1 0.74-1.13 1 1 This study 1 1   1 1 (267) 1 1 (256) 1 1 (1.04) 1 1 (29.3) 1 1 (35.2) 1 1 (0.87) 1 1   The mean 210 Po and 210 Pb activities according to the lichen species are shown in Fig. 3 Fig. 3 . The mean activity ratios of 210 Po/ 210 Pb are presented in Table 3 Table 3 . 1 1 Lichen species 1 1 210 Po (Bq.kg -1 ) 1 1 210 Pb (Bq.kg -1 ) 1 1 The activity ratio of 210 Po/ 210 Pb 1 1 Cladonia convoluta ( n =2) 1 1 233 1 1 153 1 1 1.52 1 1 Parmelina tiliacea, ( n =2) 1 1 340 1 1 378 1 1 0.90 1 1 Physcia stellaris, ( n =3) 1 1 206 1 1 242 1 1 0.85 1 1 Pleurosticta acetabulum ( n =2) 1 1 154 1 1 179 1 1 0.86 1 1 Xanthoparmelia conspersa ( n =2) 1 1 390 1 1 356 1 1 1.09 1 1 Xanthoria parietina. ( n =6) 1 1 276 1 1 227 1 1 1.21 1 1 Min. 1 1 154 1 1 153 1 1 0.85 1 1 Max. 1 1 390 1 1 378 1 1 1.52 1 1 Mean 1 1 267 1 1 256 1 1 1.04 The mean 210 Po and 210 Pb activities in lichen species ranged from 154 to 390 Bq.kg -1 and from 153 to 378 Bq.kg -1 , respectively. While the highest mean activity for 210 Po was detected in Xanthoparmelia conspersa, the lowest mean activity was seen in Pleurosticta acetabulum . For 210 Pb , while the highest mean activity was seen in Parmelina tiliacea , the lowest activity was found in Cladonia convolute ( Table 3 Table 3 ). The mean activity ratios of 210 Po/ 210 Pb in the lichen species ranged from 0.85 to 1.52 . The activity ratio of 210 Po/ 210 Pb was unity in Xanthoparmelia conspersa. This demonstrates the equilibrium between the 210 Po and 210 Pb radioisotopes. In three lichen species ( Parmelina tiliacea, Physcia stellaris and Pleurosticta acetabulum), the 210 Pb deposition was greater than the 210 Po deposition. This disequilibrium indicated the presence of 210 Pb due to the atmospheric deposition in the lichen species. Since the ground surface is the main source of airborne 210 Pb, the air concentrations of 210 Pb show the local, geological and global climatological background of the areas observed [ 24 24 ]. In the Cladonia convoluta and Xanthoria parietina lichen species, the 210 Po deposition was higher than the 210 Pb deposition ( Table 3 Table 3 ). The activity ratio of 210 Po/ 210 Pb in the Cladonia convolute lichen species is higher than the other results. This lichen species was collected at two locations (locations 1 and 3). When the activity ratios for this species were calculated according to the sampling locations and were 1.3 and 1.63 in locations 1 and 3 (Kasar uranium deposit), respectively. According to the results, the 210 Po activity concentrations were higher than the 210 Pb activity concentrations. This result shows that the polonium was a contribution not only from the predominant 210 Pb but also from the environment. The Kasar uranium deposit is located in location 3 and it can be concluded that the uranium mine affected the polonium activity. The polonium accumulation is affected by the deposits of marble, feldspar, phosphate, sulfur, titanium, and zeolite. This is because the level of 210 Po in the atmosphere of tungsten, molybdenum, iron, and phosphate rocks is higher [ 25 25 - 26 26 25-26 ]. The Köprübaşı uranium deposits are found in apatite, biotite, feldspar, ilmenite-magnetite, muscovite, quartz, rutile, tourmaline, and zircon minerals. A correlation graphic of 210 Po activity versus 210 Pb activity in the lichen samples is given in Fig. 4 Fig. 4 . It can be seen that there was a positive correlation of 0.91 between the two radionuclides, with an R 2 value of 0.78. 3.2. Results of gamma radioactivity in soil samples 2 The 40 K, 238 U and 232 Th activities were measured by gamma spectrometry and the obtained results are given in Table 4 Table 4 . * Kasar uranium deposit. 1 1 Soil samples 1 1 40 K 1 1 238 U 1 1 232 Th 1 1 1 1 1 601.91 1 1 53.86 1 1 16.41 1 1 2 1 1 250.25 1 1 52.84 1 1 34.61 1 1 3* 1 1 - 1 1 1267.8 1 1 80.57 1 1 4 1 1 703.81 1 1 53.77 1 1 32.14 1 1 5 1 1 1064.60 1 1 42.60 1 1 27.19 1 1 6 1 1 569.92 1 1 52.21 1 1 33.26 1 1 7 1 1 352.80 1 1 41.73 1 1 14.61 1 1 Min. 1 1 250.25 1 1 41.73 1 1 14.61 1 1 Max. 1 1 1064.60 1 1 1267.8 1 1 80.57 1 1 Mean 1 1 506.19 1 1 49.5 1 1 39.92 Standard error values for the 40 K, 238 U, and 232 Th activities were calculated separately and were 129, 161 and 8, respectively. These are shown in Fig. 5 Fig. 5 . In the soil samples, the 40 K activity ranged between 250.25 and 1064.60 Bq.kg -1 with an average value of 506.19 Bq.kg -1 . The highest concentration of 40 K was measured in the sample collected from location 5 ( Table 4 Table 4 and Fig. 5 Fig. 5 ). The world average for 40 K is accepted as 400 Bq.kg -1 [ 27 27 ] and therefore 71.5% of the results in this study exceeded the world average. The 238 U activity in the soil samples ranged from 41.73 to 1267.8 Bq.kg -1 , with an average value of 49.5 Bq.kg -1 , except at location 3. The 238 U activity concentration in all soil samples was higher than the world average for 238 U which is accepted as 35 Bq.kg -1 [ 27 27 ]. In particular, the 238 U activity concentration in the soil sample taken from the Kasar uranium mine (location 3) is very high (approximately 36 times the world average). The 232 Th activity varied from 14.61 to 111.92 Bq.kg -1 with a mean value of 39.92 Bq.kg -1 . The results of two samples (location 2 and location 3) were lower than the world average of 30 Bq.kg -1 [ 27 27 ]. The mean of the 40 K, 238 U, and 232 Th activities in this study were exceeded the accepted values (400, 35, and 30 Bq.kg -1 , respectively). In the soil samples, the correlation between the 238 U activity concentration measured by gamma spectrometry and 210 Po activity concentration measured by alpha spectrometry is demonstrated in Fig. 6 Fig. 6 . It can be seen that the correlation between the 238 U and 210 Po activity is a positive (0.75) with an R 2 value of 0.998. 4. Conclusions 1 In this study, the 210 Po and 210 Pb activities in six different lichen species were measured by alpha spectrometry. The most common of the lichen species was Xanthoria parietina in the Köprübaşı district. The highest activities for 210 Po (577 Bq.kg -1 ) and 210 Pb (565 Bq.kg -1 ) in the lichen samples were detected in Xanthoria parietina and Parmelina tiliacea , respectively. The highest mean activities of 210 Po and 210 Pb were detected in Xanthoparmelia conspersa and in Parmelina tiliacea , respectively. The lowest mean activities were seen in Pleurosticta acetabulum and Cladonia convolute for 210 Po and 210 Pb, respectively. The age, health, and locations of the lichens differed, and therefore these factors can cause the accumulation of radionuclides in different proportions in the same species. According to the lichen species, the activity ratio of 210 Po/ 210 Pb was unity in Xanthoparmelia conspersa, demostrating the equilibrium between the 210 Po and 210 Pb radioisotopes. However, this ratio in the other lichen species is varied from 0.85 to 1.52. In the lichen samples, there was a positive correlation of 0.91 between the 210 Po and 210 Pb activity with an R 2 value of 0.78. Also, in the soil samples, there is a positive relation between the 238 U activity measured by gamma spectrometry and 210 Po activity measured by alpha spectrometry with an R 2 value of 0.998. In this study, the 210 Po activity concentrations in the air using lichens were studied to investigate the dose limits affecting the human health of those living in this area. The 210 Po and 210 Pb levels of this area were determined and the obtained data important because no such study has been performed in this region before. The results of this study can be used as the basic data in future studies, e.g., production of distribution maps. References A. Uğur , B. Özden , M. Sac et al ., Biomonitoring of 210Po and 210Pb using lichens and mosses around a uraniferous coal-fired power plant in western Turkey . Atmos. 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Report of the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation to the General assembly. ANNEX B exposures from natural radiation sources 10.1007/s41365-018-0428-7 This work was supported by Manisa Celal Bayar University, Scientific Research Projects Coordination Unit (No. 2012/118). 2017-04-28 2017-09-28 2017-12-26 2018-04-30 2018-06-01 2021-04-11 © China Science Publishing & Media Ltd. (Science Press), Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, ChineseNuclear Society and Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2018 This is a post-peer-review, pre-copyedit version of an article published in Nuclear Science and Techniques. The final authenticated version is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s41365-018-0428-7 http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s41365-018-0428-7 . 2018 Nuclear Science and Techniques 06 29