Trace and major elements, natural and artificial radionuclides assessment in bottom sediments from Tiete River basin, Sao Paulo State, Brazil: part III

This paper aims at quantifying natural and artificial radionuclides, trace and major elements in sediments collected along the Tiete River basin. The results obtained for Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni and Zn, indicated that the region of High Tiete is highly polluted, followed by the region of Middle Tiete and the region of Low Tiete does not present evidence of contamination. The natural radionuclide concentrations were of the same order of magnitude of world average values and can be defined as basal levels of the region. Cesium-137 activity concentration ranged from 0.22 +/- 0.08 Bq kg(-1) to 0.96 +/- 0.12 Bq kg(-1).

Automated summary

The study found that sediments in the High Tiete region are heavily polluted, followed by the Middle Tiete region, while the Low Tiete region shows no evidence of contamination. Additionally, the concentrations of natural radionuclides are comparable to world average values, and can be considered as baseline levels for the region.