ENAA Studies of pollution in anoxic Black Sea sediments

The vertical distributions of five potential pollutants – Zn, As, Br, Sn, and Sb – were determined via epithermal neutron activation in the upper 50 cm of unconsolidated sediments from the Black Sea, which were collected 600 m below sea surface. This analysis demonstrated increasing concentrations towards the upper limits of sediments, which were greater than alert concentrations in the case of As and Br, and in accordance with Romanian Environment Regulations. The utilization of Chernobyl 137Cs as a time marker allowed for dating of this region to the last 100 years.