Assessment of toxic elements in the tsunami affected areas using Nuclear Analytical Techniques NAT

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RCA-UNDP Post-Tsunami Environment Impact
Assessment Workshop
Assessment of toxic elements in the tsunami
affected areas using Nuclear Analytical
Techniques (NAT)
3 6 November 2008, Xiamen
Yii Mei Wo Malaysian Nuclear Agency
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Assessment of toxic elements in the tsunami
affected areas using Nuclear Analytical
Techniques (NAT)
Project Leader Yii Mei Wo
Project Code MINT-RD-06-05-07 Approved budget
RM60,000.00
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National Project Team

• Malaysian Nuclear Agency
• - Abdul Kadir Ishak, Dr (NPC)
• - Yii Mei Wo (Local Project Leader)
• - Zaharudin Ahmad, Dr
• - Shamsiah Ab. Rahman
• - Jalal Sarip_at_Sharib
• - Mohd Izwan Abdul Adziz
• - Nita Salina Abu Bakar
• - Ahmad Sanadi Abu Bakar
• Fisheries Research Institute
• - Chee Phaik Ean

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Project Objective

• To assess the levels of toxic elements in the
• sediment from tsunami affected areas using NAT
• - Heavy metal As, Co, Cr, Sb, Sc, Th, U etc
• - Radionuclide Pb-210, Ra-226, Ra-228 K-40

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Tsunami Impact
Langkawi islands

• AFFECTED AREA
• - West and north coast of Penang,
• - Langkawi Island, and
• - Kuala Muda, Kedah

Penang
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Sampling stations at Kuala Muda
Study Area (Kuala Muda, Kedah)
24A/B
25A/B

• 1st sampling 18-20 Sept. 2006 9 grabs
  (KM00-KM09) 1 core sample (KM00)
• 2nd sampling 11 13 June 2007 , 6 core samples
  (KM 10 KM 15)
• 3rd sampling 20 22 August 2007
• 8 core samples (KM 16 KM 23)
• 4th sampling 5 7 November 2007
• 4 core samples (KM 24A/B KM 25A/B)

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Sampling on site
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Sample Preparation
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Samples selected for analysis

• 1st sampling 18-20 Sept. 2006
• 9 grabs (KM01 KM09)
• 1 core (KM00)
• 2nd sampling 11 13 June 2007,
• 2 cores samples (KM 10 KM11)
• 3rd sampling 20 22 August 2007
• 4 cores (KM17, KM 21, KM 22 KM
  23)
• 4th sampling 5 7 November 2007
• 4 cores (KM24A, KM 24B, KM25A KM
  25B)

4th sampling 5 7 November 2007 1 cores
(KM 25A) sent to GNS Science, New Zealand (to
speed up analysis), March 2008
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Core sediment shipped to PRC,December 2007
 
 
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Preparation for sediment core KM24A
divide each layer of samples (2cm thick) into 3
sub-samples which will be used for measurements
of sediment chronology, heavy metals and organic
compounds, respectively.

• sub-sample for sediment chronology measurement
  8g
• 2. sub-sample for heavy metal measurement 18g
• 3. sub-sample for organic compound
  measurement 22g.

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Sample Preparation, KM24A
Sliced, 3 sub- samples, wet
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Sample Analysis
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Quality control
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Status of Sample Analysis
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Toxic elements in surface sediment
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Core sediment properties

• Water content 30-80 - higher at the surface
• Dry bulk density 0.4-1.3 g/cm3

Variations of water content and bulk density
reflect the inhomogeneity of cores
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Core sediment properties

• Water content 30-80 - higher at the surface
• Dry bulk density 0.4-1.3 g/cm3

Variations of water content and bulk density
reflect the inhomogeneity of cores
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Toxic element profiles
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Toxic element profiles

The concentrations Cr show large fluctuations,
range from 45 1371 ppm, with relative standard
deviation gt 30 . As, Ba, Co, Sb, Sc, Fe and Zn
are less fluctuate with concentrations vary from
5.76 30.82 ppm, 130 370 ppm, 2.77 9.99 ppm,
0.43 1.33 ppm, 3.62 12.56 ppm, 9731 40975
ppm, and 27.39 89.20 ppm, respectively and a
relative standard deviation of between 10-30.
No clear profile pattern observed
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Enrichment Factor
The enrichment factor is expressed as   EF (M
/ Fe) sediment / (M / Fe) crust  where (M /
Fe) sediment the ratio of the metal
concentration detected in a sample to the Fe
(normalizing metal) concentration detected in the
same sample. (M / Fe) crustal the ratio of the
average metal concentration in the crustal to the
average Fe concentration in the crustal.

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Enrichment Factor
Metal ratios for the crustal values was obtained
from the Minerals and Geoscience Department,
Malaysia for local data and from Wedepohl (1995)
for the global data to use as a comparison. A
value of EF 2 can be considered to be of
lithogenic origin for a metal whereas EF gt 2
indicates the addition of an anthropogenic
component and/or a biogenical enrichment process.
(Grousset et al., 1995).

Crustal values of global and local metal elements
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Average Enrichment Factor
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Enrichment Factor
When referenced to local data, on average the
elements show no anthropogenic input in the
sample area. The only exception is barium.
Enrichment of Barium could be contribute from the
heavily use of Barium compounds in many
industrial, especially barite (BaSO4), are
extremely important to the petroleum industry.
Barium is also used in paint and in rat
poison.   When referenced to global data, the
sampling area shows significant enrichment of As.
However, when referenced to local data, the EF
shows no enrichment of As. This is due to the
fact that natural background of As in Malaysia is
higher than the global average.

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Pb-210 in core sediment
Pb-210 profiles show a declining activity along
the depth of the cores and reach a relatively
constant level in each core within about 20-40cm
of the surface. However there is a lot of
fluctuation of Pb-210 activities and it was
difficulties to define a nice decay layer in
almost all profiles, indicate that accretion may
have not been constant through time for these
cores.
Three different model has been used to determine
the sediment accretion rate in Kuala Muda. This
model interprets the irregularities as changes in
the vertical accretion rate through time
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Sedimentation rate
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Sedimentation rate
The sedimentation rates for sediment cores had
been estimated using three different models hence
CRS, CIC and ADE. Among these three models, CRS
models generate more consistent estimation of
sedimentation rates. Overall the sedimentation
rate estimated from this model didnt vary much
between each station. This is logical as all
stations are not far from each other. Higher
sedimentation rate was found at KM 10 and KM 11
is due to the fact that these two stations are
closer to the shore. Higher input from mainland
is expected when compared to the stations that
are located far from the shore.

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Conclusions

• Toxic elements concentrations in surface
  sediment varies randomly with sampling locations
  and does not show any particular trend either
  along the beach or perpendicular to the beach.
• Metal concentrations from Kuala Muda area are
  within the range obtained for the Juru coastal
  area. It is suggested therefore, these metal
  concentrations reflect more atypical mineralogy
  in these coastal areas rather than large
  anthropogenic metal inputs.
• The concentrations of toxic elements in sediment
  cores show fluctuations, with relative standard
  deviation of gt10
• The sedimentation rates in Kuala Muda has been
  estimated to be around 0.2 0.3 g/cm2.yr.
  Sedimentation rates are higher closer to the
  shore but lower in the deeper water

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CORAL STUDY/UPTAKE EXPERIMENT
Name of counterpart Prof. Noor Azhar M. Shazili
(University Malaysia Terengganu) Cd-109, 2 mCi
in 10 ml Sirum vial. Date received 25 September
2007
PENDING
Species identified Acropora Sp. Last visit UMT,
May 2008. New fingers (imported from Indonesia)
has been grown Difficult to start experiment Mr.
Ron Szymzack visited UMT June 2008
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Thank you