Bioaccumulation of ²¹⁰Po in common gastropod and bivalve species from the northern Gulf

This study sets the baseline for the concentration of the natural-series radionuclide polonium-210 in two species of gastropods and four species of bivalves that are common to the Northern Arabian/Persian Gulf. ²¹⁰Po is primarily absorbed from water and via ingestion of detrital material by gastropoda and bivalves. This concentrated ²¹⁰Po can then be passed along to the next trophic level of the marine food web. The lowest ²¹⁰Po concentration was measured in the gastropod Stomatella auricular (10.36-12.39Bqkg^-1dry) and the highest in the bivalve Marica marmorata (193.51-215.60Bqkg^-1dry). The measured concentration factor for these molluscs in the northern Gulf varied between 4.8 and 115×10³, values very similar to the IAEA recommended value for bivalves and gastropods of 2×10⁴.