The effect of air mass origin on the ambient concentrations of 7Be and 210Pb in Islamabad, Pakistan

Concentration of radionuclides 210Pb and 7Be, having half lives of 22.3 years and 53.29 days, respectively, in the surface air samples of Islamabad (33.38° N, 73.10° E and Altitude ∼536 m asl.) are measured. The non-destructive technique of gamma-spectrometry, with a high purity germanium HPGe detector, was employed for the analysis of all samples. The annual average concentrations of 210Pb and 7Be in the surface air samples were determined as 0.284 ± 0.15 and 3.171 ± 1.14 mBq m−3, respectively. Our results have shown a seasonal variation of the concentration of 7Be in air samples with high values for the spring season. High concentrations for 210Pb are obtained when air masses originate from plain areas of Pothohar region, located in the South-West, West and North West of Islamabad. Our values of concentrations show a nice agreement with the relevant reported results.