Concentrations of 210Po and 210Pb were determined in the edible muscle tissue of 36 species of marine fish and seven species of fresh water fish collected from Syrian local markets. Concentrations in sea fish were found to vary between 0.27 and 27.48Bqkg−1 fresh wt and 0.05–0.38Bqkg−1 fresh wt for 210Po and 210Pb, respectively. On the other hand, in fresh water fish, the concentrations were relatively low and varied between 0.61 and 3.08Bqkg−1 fresh wt for 210Po and 0.04 to 0.10Bqkg−1 fresh wt for 210Pb. These variations in 210Po and 210Pb content in different species are due to differences in metabolism and feeding patterns. However, the highest levels were observed in Euthynnus alletteratus and Sardinella sp collected from different markets. The daily levels of intake due to fish consumption containing 210Po and 210Pb were calculated and found to be 6.0 and 0.24mBq respectively, which are much lower than those reported in other countries. In addition, the collective doses were found to be 5.09 and 2.93man.Sv for 210Po and 210Pb respectively. This suggests that the dose received by Syrians due to consumption of sea and river fish is rather small.
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