Radioactive accumulation in alga samples from Romanian Black Sea coast

The natural and artificial radioactivity of the brown algaCystoseira barbata samples collected on the Romanian Black Sea coast in 1996 is reported. The results on¹³⁷Cs were obtained through gamma-spectrometry, on⁹⁰Sr by beta-counting of the⁹⁰Y oxalate precipitated after strontium separation, on²²⁶Ra by the emanation method, while the concentrations of U, Th, Pu and Am isotopes were obtained through radiochemical separations using tracers followed by alpha-spectrometry counting of the stainless steel discs after electrodeposition. These results add further evidence thatCystoseira barbata may be used as a bioindicator for radioactive contamination of the coastal waters.