Polonium 210Po in the phytobenthos from Puck Bay

The aim of the work was to determine the Po-210 content in phytobenthos species (seaweeds and angiosperms) from Puck Bay (southern Baltic). Alpha spectrometry was used to measure and calculate the activities and concentrations of polonium Po-210 in the phytobenthos. The activity of Po-210 in Puck Bay waters was determined to estimate the bioconcentration factors (BCF) of these plants. The Po-210 concentration in water was estimated at 0.25 mBq dm(-3). The lowest polonium concentration in the phytobenthos was found Cladophora rupestris (0.12 Bq kg(-1) wet wt.), the highest in Chara crinita (1.12 Bq kg(-1) wet wt.). Polonium is accumulated in these phytobenthos species; the bioconcentration factors (BCF) ranged from 450-4400.