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Yakovlev E, Puchkov A, Bykov V. Assessing the natural and anthropogenic radionuclide activities of the Pechora River estuary: Bottom sediments and water (Arctic Ocean Basin). MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2021; 172:112765. [PMID: 34364142 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112765] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2021] [Revised: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 07/21/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
This paper studies the activity of natural and technogenic radionuclides in bottom sediments and surface water of the Pechora River estuary, which is the largest Arctic river within the European part of Russia. The relevance of conducting radioecological studies of this region is associated with active oil and gas activities in the Pechora basin and the presence of potential sources of radiation hazard. The average activities of 137Cs, 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K in bottom sediments were 0.16, 18.72, 13.36, and 373.59 Bq·kg-1, respectively. The average activity of 226Ra in the bottom sediments of the Pechora delta was two times higher than in other rivers of the Arctic basin of the European part of Russia, which is associated with oil and gas activities that are carried out in the Pechora basin. This is due to the fact that the decay products of uranium are the main by-products of oil and gas production. The specific activity of technogenic 137Cs in bottom sediments of the Pechora River delta was low and did not exceed 2.2 Bq·kg-1. We did not detect any radioactive 90Sr in bottom sediments. The low 137Cs activity in the bottom sediments of the Pechora delta was associated with both the larger granulometric composition of the sediments in comparison with the estuaries of the Siberian rivers, and with low concentrations of 137Cs in the terrigenous material (soil) entering the river from the catchment area. This was due to the low levels of 137Cs contamination in the soil of the Pechora river basin. We did not find any negative radiation effects of the underground nuclear explosion "Pyrite" carried out in the northern part of the delta, since there were no other technogenic radionuclides. The values of the radionuclides 3H, 137Cs, 226Ra, 232Th and 40K, as well as the total alpha activity in the surface waters of the Pechora River delta, turned out to be below the detection limit. In surface waters, we were able to determine only the total beta activity, which varied over a range from 19.6 to 59.6 Bq·m-3 with an average value of 33.9 Bq·m-3, which was significantly lower than the radiation safety standards. The values of the radiation hazard parameters were below the world average levels and were not significantly hazardous to the health of people living in the area of the Pechora River delta. We concluded that at present, in the Pechora River delta, there are pastures for reindeer with low levels of natural and man-made radioactivity. These conducted studies are the source material in a series of comprehensive studies of the current radioecological state of the tundra territories of the European part of Russia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evgeny Yakovlev
- N. Laverov Federal Centre for Integrated Arctic Research of Russian Academy of Sciences, 109 Severnoj Dviny Emb., Arkhangelsk 163000, Russia.
| | - Andrey Puchkov
- N. Laverov Federal Centre for Integrated Arctic Research of Russian Academy of Sciences, 109 Severnoj Dviny Emb., Arkhangelsk 163000, Russia
| | - Vladimir Bykov
- N. Laverov Federal Centre for Integrated Arctic Research of Russian Academy of Sciences, 109 Severnoj Dviny Emb., Arkhangelsk 163000, Russia
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Yakovlev E, Spirov R, Druzhinin S, Ocheretenko A, Druzhinina A, Mishchenko E, Zhukovskaya E. Atmospheric fallout of radionuclides in peat bogs in the Western Segment of the Russian Arctic. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2021; 28:25460-25478. [PMID: 33459983 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-020-12224-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
This article presents the results of studies of the activity of radionuclides in peat-bog profiles of the European subarctic of Russia. Two peat profiles were collected in different areas of the Arkhangelsk region. The peat cores were used to determine 210Pb, 137Cs, 241Am, 239Pu, 240Pu, 238U, and 234U content. To estimate the relationship between radionuclide activity and physicochemical parameters of peat, the content of organic matter, water-soluble salts, carbonates and ash, and the pH of aqueous and salt extracts were studied. Radionuclide activity concentrations in peat samples were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), low-background semiconductor gamma spectrometry with a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector, and alpha spectrometry. The 210Pb chronology of peat cores was studied using a constant flow model based on the Monte Carlo simulation method. Comparison of 210Pb dating data showed that the position of the maximum activity peaks of anthropogenic radionuclides shifted along the peat profile. This is probably due to the relative mobility of different radionuclides in the peat massif. Measurement of the atomic ratio 240Pu/239Pu showed that the main sources of pollution in the peatlands of the European subarctic of Russia are global fallout from atmospheric tests from the 1950s through 1980 and fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear accident in 1986. This study shows that a complex of radioactive isotopes in peat deposits can provide valuable information on the environmental pollution loads of subarctic territories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evgeny Yakovlev
- N. Laverov Federal Centre for Integrated Arctic Research of Russian Academy of Sciences, 109 Severnoj Dviny Emb., Arkhangelsk, Russia, 163000.
| | - Ruslan Spirov
- Institute of Radiobiology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 4 Feduninskogo st., Gomel, 246007, Republic of Belarus
| | - Sergey Druzhinin
- N. Laverov Federal Centre for Integrated Arctic Research of Russian Academy of Sciences, 109 Severnoj Dviny Emb., Arkhangelsk, Russia, 163000
| | - Alina Ocheretenko
- N. Laverov Federal Centre for Integrated Arctic Research of Russian Academy of Sciences, 109 Severnoj Dviny Emb., Arkhangelsk, Russia, 163000
| | - Anna Druzhinina
- N. Laverov Federal Centre for Integrated Arctic Research of Russian Academy of Sciences, 109 Severnoj Dviny Emb., Arkhangelsk, Russia, 163000
| | - Egor Mishchenko
- Institute of Radiobiology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 4 Feduninskogo st., Gomel, 246007, Republic of Belarus
| | - Evgeniya Zhukovskaya
- Institute of Radiobiology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, 4 Feduninskogo st., Gomel, 246007, Republic of Belarus
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Fernández‐Llamazares Á, Garteizgogeascoa M, Basu N, Brondizio ES, Cabeza M, Martínez‐Alier J, McElwee P, Reyes‐García V. A State-of-the-Art Review of Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Pollution. INTEGRATED ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT 2020; 16:324-341. [PMID: 31863549 PMCID: PMC7187223 DOI: 10.1002/ieam.4239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2019] [Revised: 11/04/2019] [Accepted: 12/18/2019] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Indigenous peoples (IPs) worldwide are confronted by the increasing threat of pollution. Based on a comprehensive review of the literature (n = 686 studies), we present the current state of knowledge on: 1) the exposure and vulnerability of IPs to pollution; 2) the environmental, health, and cultural impacts of pollution upon IPs; and 3) IPs' contributions to prevent, control, limit, and abate pollution from local to global scales. Indigenous peoples experience large burdens of environmental pollution linked to the expansion of commodity frontiers and industrial development, including agricultural, mining, and extractive industries, as well as urban growth, waste dumping, and infrastructure and energy development. Nevertheless, IPs are contributing to limit pollution in different ways, including through environmental monitoring and global policy advocacy, as well as through local resistance toward polluting activities. This work adds to growing evidence of the breadth and depth of environmental injustices faced by IPs worldwide, and we conclude by highlighting the need to increase IPs' engagement in environmental decision-making regarding pollution control. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020;16:324-341. © 2019 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).
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Affiliation(s)
- Álvaro Fernández‐Llamazares
- Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science, Faculty of Biological and Environmental SciencesUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
- Global Change and Conservation, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental SciencesUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
| | - María Garteizgogeascoa
- Global Change and Conservation, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental SciencesUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
- Artec Forschungszentrum NachhaltigkeitUniversity of BremenBremenGermany
| | - Niladri Basu
- Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental SciencesMcGill UniversityMontreal, QuebecCanada
| | | | - Mar Cabeza
- Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science, Faculty of Biological and Environmental SciencesUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
- Global Change and Conservation, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental SciencesUniversity of HelsinkiHelsinkiFinland
| | - Joan Martínez‐Alier
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia AmbientalsUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBellatera, BarcelonaSpain
| | - Pamela McElwee
- Department of Human Ecology, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, RutgersThe State University of New JerseyNew BrunswickNew JerseyUSA
| | - Victoria Reyes‐García
- Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia AmbientalsUniversitat Autònoma de BarcelonaBellatera, BarcelonaSpain
- Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, BarcelonaSpain
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Hueffer K, Ehrlander M, Etz K, Reynolds A. One health in the circumpolar North. Int J Circumpolar Health 2019; 78:1607502. [PMID: 31023174 PMCID: PMC6493317 DOI: 10.1080/22423982.2019.1607502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2019] [Revised: 04/04/2019] [Accepted: 04/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
The North faces significant health disparities, especially among its many Indigenous peoples. In this article we discuss historical, environmental, and cultural variables that contribute to these disparities and propose a One Health approach to address them in a holistic and culturally appropriate manner. The One Health paradigm recognizes the interdependence among the health and well-being of people, animals and the environment. As such, the framework aligns well with many Indigenous world views. This proactive, interdisciplinary, constructivist, and collaborative approach promise earlier detection of risks and threats, as well as more effective responses, in part by engaging community level stakeholders in all stages of the process. In the far North, humans, especially Indigenous peoples, continue to live closely connected to their environment, in settings that exert significant impacts on health. In recent decades, rapid warming and elevated contaminant levels have heightened environmental risks and increased uncertainty, both of which threaten individual and community health and well-being. Under these circumstances especially, One Health's comprehensive approach may provide mitigating and adaptive strategies to enhance resilience. While many of the examples used in this manuscript focus on Alaska and Canada, the authors believe similar conditions exist among the indigenous and rural residents across the entire Circumpolar North.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karsten Hueffer
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA
| | - Mary Ehrlander
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA
| | - Kathy Etz
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA
| | - Arleigh Reynolds
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, USA
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Mortazavi R, Attiya S, Ariya PA. Diversity of metals and metal-interactive bacterial populations in different types of Arctic snow and frost flowers: Implications on snow freeze-melt processes in a changing climate. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2019; 690:277-289. [PMID: 31288118 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2019] [Revised: 06/22/2019] [Accepted: 06/22/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Arctic snow has been shown to be a reactive interface for key physical, chemical, and microbiological processes, affecting the Arctic's oxidation, biodiversity, radiation, and climate. To explore the potential links between snow-borne metal contaminants and metal-interactive bacteria, to freezing/melting processes, we performed concurrent chemical characterization, genomic, and morphological analysis of five different Arctic snowpack (accumulated, blowing, fresh falling, surface hoar, and wind pack snow) and frost flower in Utqiaġvik (Barrow), Alaska, using Montreal urban snow as reference. Several complementary analytical techniques, including triple quad ICP-MS/MS along with various chromatography techniques, thermal ionization mass spectrometer (TIMS), high-resolution transition electron microscopy with electron dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (HR-TEM/EDS), and next generation sequencing (NGS), were deployed. Distinct metal composition and bacterial distribution among samples were observed. The concentration of 27 different transition, post-transition, rare, and radioactive metals were determined in molten snow and frost flower, as well as filtered samples. The range of three highest detected metal concentrations among samples were: Hg (3.294-134.485 μg/L), Fe (0.719-34.469 μg/L), and Sr (1.676-19,297.000 μg/L). NGS analysis led to the identification of metal interacting bacteria in all types of snow and frost flowers in the Arctic (blowing snow (1239), surface hoar snow (2243), windpack (2431), frost flowers (1440)), and Montreal urban snow (5498)) with specific bacterial genera such as: Acinetobacter, Arcenicella, Azospirillum (surface hoar snow), Arthrobacter, Paenibacillus (blowing snow), and Cycloclasticus, OM182 clade (frost flower). Several types of bacteria with confirmed or associated ice nucleation activity were observed in different types of snow, and frost flower including Pseudomonas genera (e.g., Pseudomonas fluorescens), Flavobacterium, Corynebacterium, and Pseudoxanthomonas. The implications of the above findings to snow-air interactions including nanoparticles, namely during melting and freezing cycles, and to probe the impact of various natural and anthropogenic activities are herein discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roya Mortazavi
- Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Said Attiya
- Faculty of Medicine, McGill University & Génome Québec, Montreal, Canada
| | - Parisa A Ariya
- Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, McGill University, Montreal, Canada; Department of Chemistry, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
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Petrakis D., Vassilopoulou L., Docea AO, Gofita E., Vucinic S., Rakitskii VN, Tsatsakis AM. An overview update in chemical, biological and nuclear weapons and their effects in human health. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019. [DOI: 10.18821/0044-197x-2017-61-2-103-112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - S. . Vucinic
- University of Defense; National Poison Control Centre MMA
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Mikhailovskaya LN, Molchanova IV, Pozolotina VN, Zhuravlev YN, Timofeeva YO, Burdukovsky ML. Radioactive contamination of the soil-plant cover at certain locations of Primorsky Krai, Sakhalin Island and Kamchatka Peninsula: Assessment of the Fukushima fallout. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2017; 172:1-9. [PMID: 28288353 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2017.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2016] [Revised: 02/08/2017] [Accepted: 02/10/2017] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The contamination densities of soil-plant cover at certain locations within the Primorsky Krai, Sakhalin Island and Kamchatka Peninsula attributable to 90Sr, 137Cs and 239,240Pu were 500-1390 Bq m-2, 980-2300 Bq m-2 and 37-74 Bq m-2, respectively. These values do not exceed average global background levels, typical for mid-latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. The spatial distribution of radionuclides depends on the climatic conditions of the region. A positive dependence of the 90Sr and 137Cs contamination densities, as well as additional 137Cs from NPP "Fukushima" in the soil, was determined based on the sum of annual atmospheric precipitation within the study areas. No trends in the spatial distribution of Pu isotopes were observed. The 137Cs contribution from the "Fukushima" NPP constitutes 11-300 Bq m-2 in the Primorsky Krai, Sakhalin Island and at the Kamchatka peninsula, i.e., 1-22% of the total amount of radionuclides in the soil. The contribution of this radionuclide to the contamination of moss-lichen vegetation ranged from 7 to 42%.
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Affiliation(s)
- L N Mikhailovskaya
- Laboratory of Common Radioecology, Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vos'mogo Marta Str. 202, Ekaterinburg, 620144, Russian Federation
| | - I V Molchanova
- Laboratory of Common Radioecology, Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vos'mogo Marta Str. 202, Ekaterinburg, 620144, Russian Federation
| | - V N Pozolotina
- Laboratory of Population Radiobiology, Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vos'mogo Marta Str. 202, Ekaterinburg, 620144, Russian Federation.
| | - Yu N Zhuravlev
- Laboratory of Biotechnology, Institute of Biology and Soil Science, Far East Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, pr. 100-letiya Vladivostoka 159, Vladivostok, 690022, Russian Federation
| | - Ya O Timofeeva
- Biogeochemistry Sector, Institute of Biology and Soil Science, Far East Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, pr. 100-letiya Vladivostoka 159, Vladivostok, 690022, Russian Federation
| | - M L Burdukovsky
- Biogeochemistry Sector, Institute of Biology and Soil Science, Far East Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences, pr. 100-letiya Vladivostoka 159, Vladivostok, 690022, Russian Federation
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Anwar M, Ridpath A, Berner J, Schier JG. Medical Toxicology and Public Health-Update on Research and Activities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry : Environmental Exposures among Arctic Populations: The Maternal Organics Monitoring Study in Alaska. J Med Toxicol 2016; 12:315-7. [PMID: 27379884 PMCID: PMC4996793 DOI: 10.1007/s13181-016-0562-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2016] [Accepted: 06/03/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Evidence suggests that in-utero exposure to environmental chemicals, such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs), heavy metals, and radionuclides, that might bioaccumulate in the mother may increase a newborn's risk of adverse developmental, neurological, and immunologic effects. Chemical contamination of bodies of water and strong ocean currents worldwide can drive these chemicals from lower latitudes to Arctic waters where they accumulate in common traditional subsistence foods. In response to concerns of the people from Alaska of the effects of bio-accumulated chemicals on their children, the Maternal Organics Monitoring Study(MOMS) was developed. The objective of the study was to assess the risks and benefits associated with the population's subsistence diet. Data analysis of biological samples at the CDC's NCEH laboratory and maternal questionnaires is ongoing. Results will be provided to Alaska Native communities to help support public health actions and inform future interventions and research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehruba Anwar
- Health Studies Branch, Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), 4770 Buford Highway, Chamblee, GA, 30341, USA.
| | - Alison Ridpath
- Health Studies Branch, Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), 4770 Buford Highway, Chamblee, GA, 30341, USA
| | - James Berner
- Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC), 4000 Ambassador Drive, Anchorage, AK, 99508, USA
| | - Joshua G Schier
- Health Studies Branch, Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, National Center for Environmental Health (NCEH), 4770 Buford Highway, Chamblee, GA, 30341, USA
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9
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Kallenborn R, Blais JM. Tracking Contaminant Transport From Biovectors. ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/978-94-017-9541-8_16] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
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10
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Radioactivity in mushrooms: A health hazard? Food Chem 2014; 154:14-25. [DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2013.12.083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2013] [Revised: 11/20/2013] [Accepted: 12/19/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Measurements of natural radionuclides in human teeth and animal bones as markers of radiation exposure from soil in the Northern Malaysian Peninsula. Radiat Phys Chem Oxf Engl 1993 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.radphyschem.2013.10.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Ramzaev V, Barkovsky A, Goncharova Y, Gromov A, Kaduka M, Romanovich I. Radiocesium fallout in the grasslands on Sakhalin, Kunashir and Shikotan Islands due to Fukushima accident: the radioactive contamination of soil and plants in 2011. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2013; 118:128-142. [PMID: 23344426 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2012.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2012] [Revised: 12/06/2012] [Accepted: 12/17/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant has resulted in radioactive contamination of environmental media and food in the Far East of Russia, particularly in the Sakhalin Region. To obtain the knowledge about the (134)Cs and (137)Cs spatial distribution in the Sakhalin Region, soil samples were collected at 31 representative grassland sites on Sakhalin, Kunashir and Shikotan islands (43.80°-46.40° N and 142.73°-146.84° E) in the middle of May and around the end of September to early October 2011. In the autumn, vegetation samples (mixed grass/forb crop and bamboo, Sasa sp.) were collected together with soil samples. Maximum measured activity concentrations (on dry weight) of (134)Cs and (137)Cs in soil were 30 Bq kg(-1) and 210 Bq kg(-1), respectively. Within soil profile, (134)Cs activity concentrations declined rapidly with depth. Although for both sampling occasions (in the spring and autumn) the radionuclide was completely retained in the upper 3-4 cm of soil, a deeper penetration of the contaminant into the ground was observed in the autumn. In contrast with (134)Cs, activity concentrations of (137)Cs demonstrated a broad range of the vertical distribution in soil; at most sites, the radionuclide was found down to a depth of 20 cm. This resulted from interfering the aged pre-accidental (137)Cs and the new Fukushima-borne (137)Cs. To calculate contribution of these sources to the inventory of (137)Cs, the (134)Cs:(137)Cs activity ratio of 1:1 in Fukushima fallout (the reference date 15 March 2011) was used. The maximum deposition density of Fukushima-derived (137)Cs was found on Shikotan and Kunashir Islands with average density of 0.124 ± 0.018 kBq m(-2) and 0.086 ± 0.026 kBq m(-2), respectively. Sakhalin Island was less contaminated by Fukushima-derived (137)Cs of 0.021 ± 0.018 kBq m(-2). For the south of Sakhalin Island, the reference inventory of pre-Fukushima (137)Cs was calculated as 1.93 ± 0.25 kBq m(-2) (reference date 15 March 2011). For Shikotan and Kunashir Islands, the pre-Fukushima reference levels of (137)Cs ground contamination appeared to be higher: on average, 2.81 ± 0.35 kBq m(-2). Maximum measured activity concentrations (on wet weight) of (134)Cs and (137)Cs in the vegetation were 5 Bq kg(-1) and 18 Bq kg(-1), respectively. Soil-to-plant aggregated transfer factors, T(ag)s, for (134)Cs were more than an order of magnitude higher than those for (137)Cs. For the above-ground biomass density of 1 kg per m(2) (wet weight), plant contamination may contribute approximately 2% and 0.1% to the ground deposition of Fukushima-derived and pre-accidental (137)Cs, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Ramzaev
- Institute of Radiation Hygiene, Mira str. 8, 197101 St.-Petersburg, Russia.
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Hong GH, Baskaran M, Molaroni SM, Lee HM, Burger J. Anthropogenic and natural radionuclides in caribou and muskoxen in the western Alaskan Arctic and marine fish in the Aleutian Islands in the first half of 2000s. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2011; 409:3638-3648. [PMID: 21774963 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2011.06.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2011] [Revised: 06/17/2011] [Accepted: 06/20/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
A number of caribou and muskoxen samples from the western Alaskan Arctic and fish samples from the Aleutian Islands were collected between 1998 and 2006 and analyzed for anthropogenic ((90)Sr and (137)Cs) and natural radionculides ((40)K, (210)Pb and (226)Ra), as part of the radiological assessment for the regional subsistence hunting communities in the first half of 2000s. We examined the relationship between the activities of these nuclides with the size of the fish. In caribou samples, concentration of (90)Sr in muscle was below the detection limit of 0.14 Bq kg(-1) and (137)Cs concentration in bones was below the detection limit of 0.15 Bq kg(-1). (137)Cs activity varied over an order of magnitude in caribou muscle samples with an average value of 2.5 Bq/kg wet wt. Average (137)Cs activity in muskoxen muscle was found to be 9.7 Bq/kg wet wt. However, there were a little variation (less than 60%) in (210)Pb, (40)K, and (226)Ra in both muscle and bone of both caribou and muskoxen. The activities of total (210)Pb in caribou and muskox bones were found to be 1-2 orders of magnitude higher than that of parent-supported (210)Pb indicating the potential for dating of bones of terrestrial mammals (time elapsed since the death of the animal) based on the excess (210)Pb method exists. In fish muscle samples, (137)Cs activity varied from below detection limit to 154 mBq/kg wet wt. and its content increased with the size of the fish due to its transfer through the food chain. Among the seven fish species investigated, (210)Pb activities varied almost an order of magnitude; however, (40)K and (226)Ra activities varied less than a factor of two. Total annual effective dose due to (90)Sr and (137)Cs from the ingestion of those terrestrial and marine meats was estimated to be negligible (ca. 9 μSV/a) compared to the natural radionuclides present thus posing negligible radiological threat to humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gi Hoon Hong
- Korea Ocean Research and Development Institute, 1270 Sa 2 dong, Ansan 426-744, Republic of Korea
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Gao Y, Drange H, Johannessen OM, Pettersson LH. Sources and pathways of 90Sr in the North Atlantic-Arctic region: present day and global warming. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2009; 100:375-395. [PMID: 19304359 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2009.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2008] [Revised: 12/30/2008] [Accepted: 01/11/2009] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
The spatial and temporal distributions of the anthropogenic radionuclides (137)Cs and (90)Sr, originating from nuclear bomb testing, the Sellafield reprocessing plant in the Irish Sea (UK), and from the Ob and Yenisey river discharges to the Arctic Ocean, have been simulated using the global version of the Miami Isopycnic Coordinate Ocean Model (MICOM). The physical model is forced with daily atmospheric re-analysis fields for the period of 1948-1999. Comparison of the temporal evolution of the observed and the simulated concentrations of (90)Sr has been performed in the Kara Sea. The relative contributions of the different sources on the temporal and spatial distributions of the surface (90)Sr are quantified over the simulated period. It follows that the Ob river discharge dominated the surface (90)Sr over most of the Arctic Ocean and along the eastern and western coasts of Greenland before 1960. During the period of 1980-1990, the atmospheric fallout and the Ob river discharge were equally important for the (90)Sr distribution in the Arctic Ocean. Furthermore, an attempt has been made to explore the possible dispersion of accidental released (90)Sr from the Ob and Yenisey rivers under a global warming scenario (2 x CO(2)). The difference between the present-day and the global warming scenario runs indicates that more of the released (90)Sr from the Ob and Yenisey rivers is confined to the Arctic Ocean in the global warming run, particularly in the near coastal, non-European part of the Arctic Ocean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongqi Gao
- Nansen Environmental and Remote Sensing Center, Bergen, Norway.
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15
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Balonov M. Third annual Warren K. Sinclair keynote address: retrospective analysis of impacts of the Chernobyl accident. HEALTH PHYSICS 2007; 93:383-409. [PMID: 18049216 DOI: 10.1097/01.hp.0000282109.20364.37] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
The accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in 1986 was the most severe in the history of the nuclear industry, causing a huge release of radionuclides over large areas of Europe. The recently completed Chernobyl Forum concluded that after a number of years, along with reduction of radiation levels and accumulation of humanitarian consequences, severe social and economic depression of the affected regions and associated psychological problems of the general public and the workers had become the most significant problem to be addressed by the authorities. The majority of the >600,000 emergency and recovery operation workers and five million residents of the contaminated areas in Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine received relatively minor radiation doses which are comparable with the natural background levels. An exception is a cohort of several hundred emergency workers who received high radiation doses and of whom 28 persons died in 1986 due to acute radiation sickness. Apart from the dramatic increase in thyroid cancer incidence among those exposed to radioiodine at a young age and some increase of leukemia in the most exposed workers, there is no clearly demonstrated increase in the somatic diseases due to radiation. There was, however, an increase in psychological problems among the affected population, compounded by the social disruption that followed the break-up of the Soviet Union. Despite the unprecedented scale of the Chernobyl accident, its consequences on the health of people are far less severe than those of the atomic bombings of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Studying the consequences of the Chernobyl accident has made an invaluable scientific contribution to the development of nuclear safety, radioecology, radiation medicine and protection, and also the social sciences. The Chernobyl accident initiated the global nuclear and radiation safety regime.
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16
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Natural and artificial radionuclides as a tool for sedimentation studies in the Arctic region. J Radioanal Nucl Chem 2007. [DOI: 10.1007/s10967-007-1117-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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17
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Ramzaev V, Mishine A, Golikov V, Brown JE, Strand P. Surface ground contamination and soil vertical distribution of 137Cs around two underground nuclear explosion sites in the Asian Arctic, Russia. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2007; 92:123-43. [PMID: 17156902 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2006.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2006] [Revised: 08/28/2006] [Accepted: 10/10/2006] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Vertical distributions of 137Cs have been determined in vegetation-soil cores obtained from 30 different locations around two underground nuclear explosion sites--"Crystal" (event year - 1974) and "Kraton-3" (event year - 1978) in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Russia. In 2001-2002, background levels of 137Cs surface contamination densities on control forest plots varied from 0.73 to 0.97 kBq m(-2) with an average of 0.84+/-0.10 kBq m(-2) and a median of 0.82 kBq m(-2). 137Cs ground contamination densities at the "Crystal" site ranged from 1.3 to 64 kBq m(-2); the activity gradually decreased with distance from the borehole. For "Kraton-3", residual surface contamination density of radiocaesium varied drastically from 1.7 to 6900 kBq m(-2); maximal 137Cs depositions were found at a "decontaminated" plot. At all forest plots, radiocaesium activity decreased throughout the whole vertical soil profile. Vertical distributions of 137Cs in soil for the majority of the plots sampled (n=18) can be described using a simple exponential function. Despite the fact that more than 20 years have passed since the main fallout events, more than 80% of the total deposited activity was found in the first 5 cm of the vegetation-soil cores from most of the forested landscapes. The low annual temperatures, clay-rich soil type with neutral pH, and presence of thick lichen-moss carpet are the factors which may hinder 137Cs transport down the soil profile.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valery Ramzaev
- St.-Petersburg Institute of Radiation Hygiene, Mira street 8, 197101, St.-Petersburg, Russia.
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18
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Aliev RA, Bobrov VA, Kalmykov SN, Lisitsyn AP, Mel’gunov MS, Novigatskii AN, Travkina AV, Shevchenko VP. Artificial radioactivity of the White Sea. RADIOCHEMISTRY 2006. [DOI: 10.1134/s1066362206060166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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19
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Dowdall M, Gwynn JP, Moran C, O'Dea J, Davids C, Lind B. Uptake of radionuclides by vegetation at a High Arctic location. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2005; 133:327-332. [PMID: 15519463 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2004.05.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2004] [Accepted: 05/31/2004] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Radionuclide levels in vegetation from a High Arctic location were studied and compared to in situ soil concentrations. Levels of the anthropogenic radionuclide 137Cs and the natural radionuclides 40K, 238U, 226Ra and 232Th are discussed and transfer factor (TF) values and aggregated transfer (Tag) values are calculated for vascular plants. Levels of 137Cs in vegetation generally followed the order mosses > lichen > vascular plants. The uptake of 137Cs in vascular plants showed an inverse relationship with the uptake of 40K, with 137Cs TF and Tag values generally higher than 40K TF and Tag values. 40K activity concentrations in all vegetation showed little correlation to associated soil concentrations, while the uptake of 238U, 226Ra and 232Th by vascular and non-vascular plants was generally low.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Dowdall
- Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority, Polar Environmental Centre, 9296 Tromsø, Norway.
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Dowdall M, Vicat K, Frearson I, Gerland S, Lind B, Shaw G. Assessment of the radiological impacts of historical coal mining operations on the environment of Ny-Alesund, Svalbard. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2004; 71:101-114. [PMID: 14567946 DOI: 10.1016/s0265-931x(03)00144-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Mineral extraction activities, such as those conducted by oil, gas and coal industries, are widespread throughout the Arctic region. Waste products of these activities can result in significant contributions to the radioactive burden of the surrounding environment due to increased concentrations of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) to levels that would not normally be found in the environment. Coal mining operations commenced in the early 1900s on Svalbard and have been conducted at a variety of locations on the archipelago since then. Coal contains radionuclides of the uranium and thorium series as well as 40K. Extraction and processing of coal can result in releases of these radionuclides to the broader environment with subsequent impact on the human and non-human inhabitants of the area. This paper presents the results of a study on environmental radioactivity resulting from historical coal mining operations conducted at Ny-Alesund, Spitsbergen, in the Svalbard archipelago. Activity concentrations of radionuclides found in materials associated with these operations are presented as well as the results of a spatial dosimetric survey conducted over an area affected by coal mining.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Dowdall
- Environmental Unit, Norwegian Radiation Protection Authority, Polar Environmental Centre, 9296 Tromsø, Norway.
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Travnikova IG, Bazjukin AN, Bruk GJ, Shutov VN, Balonov MI, Skuterud L, Mehli H, Strand P. Lake fish as the main contributor of internal dose to lakeshore residents in the Chernobyl contaminated area. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2004; 77:63-75. [PMID: 15297041 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2004.03.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2003] [Revised: 02/01/2004] [Accepted: 02/20/2004] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Two field expeditions in 1996 studied 137Cs intake patterns and its content in the bodies of adult residents from the village Kozhany in the Bryansk region, Russia, located on the shore of a drainless peat lake in an area subjected to significant radioactive contamination after the 1986 Chernobyl accident. The 137Cs contents in lake water and fish were two orders of magnitude greater than in local rivers and flow-through lakes, 10 years after Chernobyl radioactive contamination, and remain stable. The 137Cs content in lake fish and a mixture of forest mushrooms was between approximately 10-20 kBq/kg, which exceeded the temporary Russian permissible levels for these products by a factor of 20-40. Consumption of lake fish gave the main contribution to internal doses (40-50%) for Kozhany village inhabitants Simple countermeasures, such as Prussian blue doses for dairy cows and pre-boiling mushrooms and fish before cooking, halved the 137Cs internal dose to inhabitants, even 10 years after the radioactive fallout.
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Affiliation(s)
- I G Travnikova
- Institute of Radiation Hygiene, Mira Street 8, 197101 St. Petersburg, Russia
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