Natural radioactivity concentration measurements in shrimp and sea bass samples from the Mexican Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

The radioactivity concentration for shrimp and sea bass retrieved from the Mexican Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico is reported in this work. The activity of 40K and 208Tl was determined with gamma spectroscopy using a High Purity Germanium detector. Overall, the radioactivity concentration of samples from the Mexican Pacific Ocean is higher than from the Gulf of Mexico. The 40K concentration measured for shrimp is 575 ± 14 Bq/kg (Pacific) and 443 ± 10 Bq/kg (Gulf), while the activity for sea bass is 753 ± 18 Bq/kg (Pacific) and 502 ± 14 Bq/kg (Gulf). Similarly, the measured concentration of 208Tl for shrimp and sea bass is 0.75 ± 0.03 and 1.09 ± 0.05 Bq/kg (Pacific), respectively, and 0.51 ± 0.02 and 0.85 ± 0.04 Bq/kg (Gulf), respectively. No other natural radionuclides or radiation contaminants were observed with significant activity. This is the first comparison of radioactivity concentration in fish and shellfish between the two main Mexican marine ecosystems.