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<p>The phosphate industry along the Sfax coast has significantly altered the surrounding environment through the accumulation of mineral processing by-products, affecting both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. This study assesses radiological conditions at a former phosphate industrial site using in situ measurements acquired with a portable gamma-ray spectrometer. Surveys were conducted across the phosphogypsum (PG) pile, adjacent soils, and nearby beach sediments, focusing on total count rate (TC), absorbed dose rate (DR), and activity concentrations of ²³⁸U and ²³²Th progenies and ⁴⁰K. Two radiological hotspot zones were identified within the PG pile, where TC and DR values reached up to 300 cps and 246 nGy h⁻¹, respectively, with all radiological parameters exceeding recommended reference levels. In surrounding soils, a localized hotspot was detected near the PG pile, while average values in other areas (≈ 30 cps and 45 nGy h⁻¹) remained within permissible limits. Beach sediments exhibited the lowest radioactivity levels (mean TC ≈ 10 cps; DR ≈ 29 nGy h⁻¹), well below thresholds of radiological concern. Statistical analyses indicate that radiation in the PG pile and soils is dominated by ²³⁸U progeny, whereas both ²³⁸U progeny and ⁴⁰K contribute to radioactivity in coastal sediments. From a radiological protection perspective, elevated dose rates measured over the PG pile and nearby soils may lead to annual effective doses approaching or exceeding the public exposure reference level of 1 mSv y⁻¹. This study provides essential baseline radiometric data to support the management of radiological risks in the Sfax coastal industrial zone.</p>

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Radiological survey and environmental risk assessment around the fertilizer and phosphoric acid former plant of Sfax, Tunisia

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年4月10日

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  • Nebil Belaid,
  • Christos Tsabaris,
  • Rim Trabelsi,
  • Kamel Zouari

摘要

The phosphate industry along the Sfax coast has significantly altered the surrounding environment through the accumulation of mineral processing by-products, affecting both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. This study assesses radiological conditions at a former phosphate industrial site using in situ measurements acquired with a portable gamma-ray spectrometer. Surveys were conducted across the phosphogypsum (PG) pile, adjacent soils, and nearby beach sediments, focusing on total count rate (TC), absorbed dose rate (DR), and activity concentrations of ²³⁸U and ²³²Th progenies and ⁴⁰K. Two radiological hotspot zones were identified within the PG pile, where TC and DR values reached up to 300 cps and 246 nGy h⁻¹, respectively, with all radiological parameters exceeding recommended reference levels. In surrounding soils, a localized hotspot was detected near the PG pile, while average values in other areas (≈ 30 cps and 45 nGy h⁻¹) remained within permissible limits. Beach sediments exhibited the lowest radioactivity levels (mean TC ≈ 10 cps; DR ≈ 29 nGy h⁻¹), well below thresholds of radiological concern. Statistical analyses indicate that radiation in the PG pile and soils is dominated by ²³⁸U progeny, whereas both ²³⁸U progeny and ⁴⁰K contribute to radioactivity in coastal sediments. From a radiological protection perspective, elevated dose rates measured over the PG pile and nearby soils may lead to annual effective doses approaching or exceeding the public exposure reference level of 1 mSv y⁻¹. This study provides essential baseline radiometric data to support the management of radiological risks in the Sfax coastal industrial zone.