Radiological assessment of marine species in Neum bay (Bosnia and Herzegovina): Implications for one health and food safety

Environmental radioactivity is often an overlooked factor in theOne Health framework, despite its potential to impact humanhealth through bioaccumulation and trophic web transfer. Thisstudy presents a radiological assessment of marine species alongBosnia and Herzegovina’s Adriatic coastline, using mussels(Mytilus galloprovincialis) and sea cucumbers (Holothuria sp.)as bioindicator species.Samples from each species were collected from Neum Bay andanalysed using gamma spectrometry. Activity concentrationsof radionuclides K-40, Be-7, Pb-210, Cs-137 and Ra-226 weredetermined based on their characteristic gamma emission linesor those of their decay products. All activity concentrations areexpressed on dry weight (d.w.).In mussels, the dominant radionuclide was K-40 (340.6 Bq/kg),followed by Pb-210 (15.6 Bq/kg), Be-7 (14.5 Bq/kg), Cs-137was present at low level (0.1 Bq/kg), and Ra-226 was below thedetection limit (<0.4 Bq/kg). In contrast, sea cucumbers showedlower K-40 activity (123.4 Bq/kg), but higher levels of Pb-210(49.8 Bq/kg), Be-7 (36.9 Bq/kg), and detectable Ra-226 (7.7Bq/kg), while Cs-137 was not detected.The activity concentration of Po-210 in Mytilus galloprovincialiswas not measured directly, however it can be estimated usingestablished relationship between Po-210 and Pb-210 observedin mussels, particularly from the MARIS program. Usinga conservative ratio of 15:1, the estimated 210Po activityconcentration in Neum Bay mussels is approximately 90 Bq/kg (f.w.).From a public health perspective, it is likely that ingestion dosewould be underestimated due to the absence of alpha-emittingPo-210 data in mussels. These findings highlight the importanceof integrating environmental radionuclide monitoring into foodsafety and marine ecosystem protection strategies, particularlyin under-monitored regions such as Bosnia and Herzegovina.