Atmospheric deposition fluxes of 137Cs associated with dust fallout in the northeastern Arabian Gulf

For many years, monitoring and determining the radioactivity of Cs-137 in the environment has considerable interest. This paper presents monitoring Cs-137 deposition fluxes during the period from 2009 to 2011. Dust fallout samples were collected from ten locations in Kuwait, and Cs-137 concentrations were determined using ultra low spectrometry system. The average of the annual atmospheric deposition fluxes of Cs-137 was 4.3, with an extreme value reaching 50 Bq m(-2). The monthly deposition rates of Cs-137 were attributed to seasonal increases in the spring. Cs-137 deposition fluxes showed a significant relationship with dust deposition and precipitation rates, where the correlation between the monthly dust fallout and the Cs-137 deposition fluxes and precipitation rates were approximately 0.95 and 0.81, respectively. The spatial monthly distribution of Cs-137 fluxes showed high rates in the southeastern part of Kuwait while the lowest rates were recorded along the coastlines. A strong correlation was observed between the annual Cs-137 and 40K deposition rates considering that both radionuclides deposition were governed by similar conditions. It was concluded that long-range transport from the north-western areas along with the effects from local dust washout and the site specify played a major role in controlling the rate of Cs-137 deposition. The estimated annual effective dose equivalent due to external and internal exposures was insignificant and can be ignored. It is worthwhile to continue investigating the source origin of Cs-137 in Kuwait to enhance understanding of the radiological hazards in the country.