Environmental Radioactivity Measurements in the Mediterranean Area

In the framework of an environmental radioactivity monitoring program, a research activity concerning an optimization of techniques for sampling and measurement of environmental radioactivity was performed at the Nuclear Engineering Department (DIN) of Palermo University. Al-though initially aimed to the analysis of monitoring data of the local network installed at the nuclear research reactor AGN-201 "COSTANZA" of Palermo University, in the following years the studies were oriented to improve the sampling facilities and measurement systems with the aim to achieve also detection limits as low as possible. The activity has allowed to collect numerous data of nuclide activity concentration for different environmental matrices, with respect to radionuclides of natural origin, e.g. 7Be and 210Pb in air particulates or 238U and 232Th chain products in soil or sea sediments, and radionuclides of artificial origin, such as 137Cs and fission products re-leased into the air during the nuclear tests in atmosphere and in the course of events following the Chernobyl acci-dent. Some measurement results from DIN and other cen-tres and laboratories operating in the Mediterranean area are presented as an outline of activities that may be of reference for monitoring environmental radioactivity in other research or institutional organizations.