The environmental radioactivity along the seaboard of south Italy

The present paper summarizes the results of the environmental radioactivity investigation carried out in 1997 by the Italian Environmental Protection Agency (ANPA) along the coasts of the Calabria anti Basilicata regions (sou thern part of Italy), External gamma-dose rates along the coast were measur ed and samples of water, sediments, coastal soils and biota were collected. The external gamma-dose measurements were compared with the geological cha racteristics of the coast. The highest values of external gamma-dose rate w ere found in areas with high content of Uranium minerals. The levels of rad iocaesium in the sea water, sediments, coastal soils and biota are attribut able to the fallout from the atmospheric nuclear weapon tests and from the Chernobyl accident. The detected values are very low and therefore the radi ation doses from these levels of radiocaesium content are negligible.