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Car C, Gilles A, Armant O, Burraco P, Beaugelin‐Seiller K, Gashchak S, Camilleri V, Cavalié I, Laloi P, Adam‐Guillermin C, Orizaola G, Bonzom J. Unusual evolution of tree frog populations in the Chernobyl exclusion zone. Evol Appl 2022; 15:203-219. [PMID: 35233243 PMCID: PMC8867709 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Revised: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the ubiquity of pollutants in the environment, their long‐term ecological consequences are not always clear and still poorly studied. This is the case concerning the radioactive contamination of the environment following the major nuclear accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Notwithstanding the implications of evolutionary processes on the population status, few studies concern the evolution of organisms chronically exposed to ionizing radiation in the Chernobyl exclusion zone. Here, we examined genetic markers for 19 populations of Eastern tree frog (Hyla orientalis) sampled in the Chernobyl region about thirty years after the nuclear power plant accident to investigate microevolutionary processes ongoing in local populations. Genetic diversity estimated from nuclear and mitochondrial markers showed an absence of genetic erosion and higher mitochondrial diversity in tree frogs from the Chernobyl exclusion zone compared to other European populations. Moreover, the study of haplotype network permitted us to decipher the presence of an independent recent evolutionary history of Chernobyl exclusion zone's Eastern tree frogs caused by an elevated mutation rate compared to other European populations. By fitting to our data a model of haplotype network evolution, we suspected that Eastern tree frog populations in the Chernobyl exclusion zone have a high mitochondrial mutation rate and small effective population sizes. These data suggest that Eastern tree frog populations might offset the impact of deleterious mutations because of their large clutch size, but also question the long‐term impact of ionizing radiation on the status of other species living in the Chernobyl exclusion zone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clément Car
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN) PSE‐ENV/SRTE/LECO Cadarache France
| | - André Gilles
- UMR RECOVER INRAE Aix‐Marseille Université, Centre Saint‐Charles Marseille France
| | - Olivier Armant
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN) PSE‐ENV/SRTE/LECO Cadarache France
| | - Pablo Burraco
- Animal Ecology Department of Ecology and Genetics Evolutionary Biology Centre Uppsala University Uppsala Sweden
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences University of Glasgow Glasgow UK
| | | | - Sergey Gashchak
- Chornobyl Center for Nuclear Safety Radioactive Waste and Radioecology Slavutych Ukraine
| | - Virginie Camilleri
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN) PSE‐ENV/SRTE/LECO Cadarache France
| | - Isabelle Cavalié
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN) PSE‐ENV/SRTE/LECO Cadarache France
| | - Patrick Laloi
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN) PSE‐ENV/SRTE/LECO Cadarache France
| | | | - Germán Orizaola
- IMIB‐Biodiversity Research Institute (Univ. Oviedo‐CSIC‐Princip. Asturias)Universidad de Oviedo Mieres‐Asturias Spain
- Department Biology Organisms and Systems Zoology Unit University of Oviedo Oviedo‐Asturias Spain
| | - Jean‐Marc Bonzom
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN) PSE‐ENV/SRTE/LECO Cadarache France
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Burraco P, Car C, Bonzom JM, Orizaola G. Assessment of exposure to ionizing radiation in Chernobyl tree frogs (Hyla orientalis). Sci Rep 2021; 11:20509. [PMID: 34654841 PMCID: PMC8519934 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-00125-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Ionizing radiation can damage organic molecules, causing detrimental effects on human and wildlife health. The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (1986) represents the largest release of radioactive material to the environment. An accurate estimation of the current exposure to radiation in wildlife, often reduced to ambient dose rate assessments, is crucial to understand the long-term impact of radiation on living organisms. Here, we present an evaluation of the sources and variation of current exposure to radiation in breeding Eastern tree frogs (Hyla orientalis) males living in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Total absorbed dose rates in H. orientalis were highly variable, although generally below widely used thresholds considered harmful for animal health. Internal exposure was the main source of absorbed dose rate (81% on average), with 90Sr being the main contributor (78% of total dose rate, on average). These results highlight the importance of assessing both internal and external exposure levels in order to perform a robust evaluation of the exposure to radiation in wildlife. Further studies incorporating life-history, ecological, and evolutionary traits are needed to fully evaluate the effects that these exposure levels can have in amphibians and other taxa inhabiting radio-contaminated environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Burraco
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, 75236, Uppsala, Sweden
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
| | - Clément Car
- Research Laboratory on the Effects of Radionuclides on Ecosystems (LECO), Institute for Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SRTE/LECO, 13115, Cadarache, Saint Paul Lez Durance, France
| | - Jean-Marc Bonzom
- Research Laboratory on the Effects of Radionuclides on Ecosystems (LECO), Institute for Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SRTE/LECO, 13115, Cadarache, Saint Paul Lez Durance, France
| | - Germán Orizaola
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, 75236, Uppsala, Sweden.
- IMIB-Biodiversity Research Institute (Univ. Oviedo-CSIC-Princip. Asturias), University of Oviedo, 33600, Mieres-Asturias, Spain.
- Zoology Unit, Department of Biology of Organisms and Systems, University of Oviedo, 33071, Oviedo-Asturias, Spain.
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Burraco P, Bonzom JM, Car C, Beaugelin-Seiller K, Gashchak S, Orizaola G. Lack of impact of radiation on blood physiology biomarkers of Chernobyl tree frogs. Front Zool 2021; 18:33. [PMID: 34187507 PMCID: PMC8240299 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-021-00416-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 05/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Human actions have altered natural ecosystems worldwide. Among the many pollutants released to the environment, ionizing radiation can cause severe damage at different molecular and functional levels. The accident in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant (1986) caused the largest release of ionizing radiation to the environment in human history. Here, we examined the impact of the current exposure to ionizing radiation on blood physiology biomarkers of adult males of the Eastern tree frog (Hyla orientalis) inhabiting within and outside the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. We measured the levels of eight blood parameters (sodium, potassium, chloride, ionized calcium, total carbon dioxide, glucose, urea nitrogen, and anion gap), physiological markers of homeostasis, as well as of liver and kidney function. RESULTS Levels of blood physiology biomarkers did not vary in function of the current exposure of tree frogs to ionizing radiation within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Physiological blood levels were similar in frogs inhabiting Chernobyl (both in areas with medium-high or low radiation) than in tree frogs living outside Chernobyl exposed only to background radiation levels. CONCLUSIONS The observed lack of effects of current radiation levels on blood biomarkers can be a consequence of the low levels of radiation currently experienced by Chernobyl tree frogs, but also to the fact that our sampling was restricted to active breeding males, i.e. potentially healthy adult individuals. Despite the clear absence of effects of current radiation levels on physiological blood parameters in tree frogs, more research covering different life stages and ecological scenarios is still needed to clarify the impact of ionizing radiation on the physiology, ecology, and dynamics of wildlife inhabiting radioactive-contaminated areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Burraco
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, G12 8QQ, Glasgow, UK.
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, 75236, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Jean-Marc Bonzom
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SRTE/LECO, Cadarache, 13115, Saint Paul Lez Durance, France
| | - Clément Car
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SRTE/LECO, Cadarache, 13115, Saint Paul Lez Durance, France
| | - Karine Beaugelin-Seiller
- Institut de Radioprotection et de Sûreté Nucléaire (IRSN), PSE-ENV/SRTE/LECO, Cadarache, 13115, Saint Paul Lez Durance, France
| | - Sergey Gashchak
- Chornobyl Center for Nuclear Safety, Radioactive Waste and Radioecology, Slavutych, 07100, Ukraine
| | - Germán Orizaola
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, 75236, Uppsala, Sweden
- IMIB-Biodiversity Research Institute (Univ. Oviedo-CSIC-Princip. Asturias), University of Oviedo, 33600, Mieres, Asturias, Spain
- Zoology Unit, Department of Biology of Organisms and Systems, University of Oviedo, 33071, Oviedo, Asturias, Spain
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Vo NTK. Environmental radiobiology of amphibians - knowledge gaps to be filled using cell lines. Int J Radiat Biol 2021; 98:1034-1046. [PMID: 33428858 DOI: 10.1080/09553002.2021.1872815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Amphibians are facing an unprecedented level of population declines worldwide. The causes run the gamut from habitat loss and succumbing to opportunistic pathogen infections to vulnerability to toxic pollutants and ultraviolet (UV)-B radiation exposure. Anthropogenic activities including Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear disasters and radioactive waste leakage into the environment raise the background radiation levels. Their immediate and chronic effects on amphibian populations are still being studied. However, the literature on environmental radiation effects on amphibian health still requires a lot more work. Laboratory and field works need to be conducted hand in hand in order to make informative and conclusive analyses to distinguish bad from good and harm from risk or to argue for or against the linear no-threshold model in radioprotection programs. Amphibian cell lines can help seek answers to important questions pertaining environmental radiobiology and amphibian health wherever they can suitably and effectively. The purpose of this work is to show that amphibian cell lines can 'rescue' important knowledge gaps in the literature, especially in the low-dose radiation mechanisms. Presently, there are 142 amphibian cell lines developed from six urodelans and 17 anurans. Amphibian cell lines can help expand and enrich the limited literature on environmental radiation effects on amphibians. They can be used to study mechanisms of radiation actions and discover reliable biomarkers for low-dose exposure. They can be used in environmental radiation monitoring and radioprotection programs. They can be used to determine the effects of co-exposure of IR and other stressors in the environment on amphibian health. They represent an ethical choice for amphibian conservation efforts in the current global amphibian declines. Lessons learned from cellular data can be useful guides to gain a better picture of effects occurring at the amphibian population and ecosystem levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nguyen T K Vo
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.,School of Interdisciplinary Science, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
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Maruyama K, Wang B, Doi K, Ishibashi K, Ichikawa S, Furuhata Y, Kubota M, Watanabe Y. Radiation effects on wild medaka around Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant assessed by micronucleus assay. JOURNAL OF RADIATION RESEARCH 2021; 62:79-85. [PMID: 33326996 PMCID: PMC7779352 DOI: 10.1093/jrr/rraa116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2020] [Revised: 05/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Since the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant (F1-NPP) accident in 2011, radiation effects on wildlife in the contaminated areas have been a major concern. The outskirts of the F1-NPP are mainly rural areas, where many rice fields, streams and reservoirs are located. We searched for wild medaka (small aquarium fish) around the F1-NPP and found two wild medaka habitats (S1 and S2). S1 is a stream located 4 km from the F1-NPP, where the ambient dose equivalent rate was 0.4-0.9 μSv/h (2013-14), and S2 is a reservoir located 7.5 km from the F1-NPP, where the ambient dose equivalent rate was 9.8-22 μSv/h (2013-14 and 2017-18). Dosimeters were placed for one day at the locations where the medaka were captured, and the absorbed dose rates were estimated. Radiation effects on wild medaka were examined using micronucleus assay between 2013 and 2018. No significant difference in frequency of micronucleated gill cells was observed among the wild medaka from S1, S2 and our cultivated medaka that were used as a control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kouichi Maruyama
- Corresponding author: Department of Radioecology and Fukushima Project, Center for Advanced Radiation Emergency Medicine, Quantum Medical Science Directorate, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555, Japan. Tel: +81-43-206-3085; Fax: +81-43- 251-4582;
| | - Bing Wang
- Department of Radiation Effects Research, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Quantum Medical Science Directorate, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-Ku, Chiba 263-8555, Japan
| | - Kazutaka Doi
- Center for Radiation Protection Knowledge, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, Quantum Medical Science Directorate, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555, Japan
| | - Koji Ishibashi
- Tokyo College of Environment, 3-3-7 Kotobashi, Sumida-ku, Tokyo 130-0022, Japan
| | - San’ei Ichikawa
- Japan Wildlife Research Center, 3-3-7 Kotobashi, Sumida-ku, Tokyo 130-8606, Japan
| | - Yoshiaki Furuhata
- Japan Wildlife Research Center, 3-3-7 Kotobashi, Sumida-ku, Tokyo 130-8606, Japan
| | - Masahide Kubota
- Japan Wildlife Research Center, 3-3-7 Kotobashi, Sumida-ku, Tokyo 130-8606, Japan
| | - Yoshito Watanabe
- Department of Radioecology and Fukushima Project, Center for Advanced Radiation Emergency Medicine, Quantum Medical Science Directorate, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555, Japan
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Ariyoshi K, Miura T, Kasai K, Goh VST, Fujishima Y, Nakata A, Takahashi A, Shimizu Y, Shinoda H, Yamashiro H, Seymour C, Mothersill C, Yoshida MA. Environmental radiation on large Japanese field mice in Fukushima reduced colony forming potential in hematopoietic progenitor cells without inducing genomic instability. Int J Radiat Biol 2020; 98:1147-1158. [PMID: 32791031 DOI: 10.1080/09553002.2020.1807643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE To study the environmental radiation effects of wild animals after the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident, we assessed effects on hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) in large Japanese field mice (Apodemus speciosus). MATERIALS AND METHODS A. speciosus were collected from three contaminated sites and control area. The air dose-rates at the control and contaminated areas were 0.96 ± 0.05 μGy/d (Hirosaki), 14.4 ± 2.4 μGy/d (Tanashio), 208.8 ± 31.2 μGy/d (Ide), 470.4 ± 93.6 μGy/d (Omaru), respectively. We investigated possible DNA damage and pro-inflammatory markers in the bone marrow (BM) cells. The colony-forming potential of BM cells was estimated by the number of HPC colony-forming cells. Radiation-induced genomic instability (RIGI) in HPCs was also analyzed by quantifying delayed DNA damage in CFU-GM clones. RESULTS Although no significant differences in DNA damage and inflammation markers in BM cells from control and contaminated areas, the number of HPC colonies exhibited an inverse correlation with air dose-rate. With regard to RIGI, no significant differences in DNA damage of CFU-GM clones between the mice from the control and the three contaminated areas. CONCLUSIONS Our study suggests that low dose-rate radiation of more than 200 Gy/d reduced HPCs, possibly eliminating genomically unstable HPCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kentaro Ariyoshi
- Integrated Center for Science and Humanities, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima City, Japan
| | - Tomisato Miura
- Department of Radiation Biology, Institute of Radiation Emergency Medicine, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki, Japan
| | - Kosuke Kasai
- Department of Bioscience and Laboratory Medicine, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Hirosaki, Japan
| | - Valerie Swee Ting Goh
- Department of Bioscience and Laboratory Medicine, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Health Sciences, Hirosaki, Japan
| | - Yohei Fujishima
- Department of Radiation Biology, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan
| | - Akifumi Nakata
- Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University of Science, Sapporo, Japan
| | | | | | - Hisashi Shinoda
- Graduate School of Dentistry, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
| | - Hideaki Yamashiro
- Graduate School of Science and Technology, Niigata University, Nishiku, Japan
| | - Colin Seymour
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | | | - Mitsuaki A Yoshida
- Department of Radiation Biology, Institute of Radiation Emergency Medicine, Hirosaki University, Hirosaki, Japan
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Beresford NA, Horemans N, Copplestone D, Raines KE, Orizaola G, Wood MD, Laanen P, Whitehead HC, Burrows JE, Tinsley MC, Smith JT, Bonzom JM, Gagnaire B, Adam-Guillermin C, Gashchak S, Jha AN, de Menezes A, Willey N, Spurgeon D. Towards solving a scientific controversy - The effects of ionising radiation on the environment. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2020; 211:106033. [PMID: 31451195 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2019.106033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2019] [Accepted: 08/21/2019] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- N A Beresford
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, CEH Lancaster, Lancaster Environment Centre, Library Av., Bailrigg, Lancaster, LA1 4AP, United Kingdom; School of Science, Engineering & Environment, University of Salford, Manchester, M5 4WT, United Kingdom.
| | - N Horemans
- Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK●CEN), Boeretang 200, 2400, Mol, Belgium
| | - D Copplestone
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, United Kingdom
| | - K E Raines
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, United Kingdom
| | - G Orizaola
- Universidad de Oviedo - Campus de Mieres, Edificio de Investigación 5a Planta, C/ Gonzalo Gutiérrez Quirós s/n, 33600, Mieres-Asturias, Spain
| | - M D Wood
- School of Science, Engineering & Environment, University of Salford, Manchester, M5 4WT, United Kingdom
| | - P Laanen
- Belgian Nuclear Research Centre (SCK●CEN), Boeretang 200, 2400, Mol, Belgium; University of Hasselt, Martelarenlaan 42, 3500, Hasselt, Belgium
| | - H C Whitehead
- School of Science, Engineering & Environment, University of Salford, Manchester, M5 4WT, United Kingdom
| | - J E Burrows
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, United Kingdom
| | - M C Tinsley
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, United Kingdom
| | - J T Smith
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, PO1 3QL, United Kingdom
| | - J-M Bonzom
- IRSN, Centre de Cadarache, 13115, St Paul Lez Durance, France
| | - B Gagnaire
- IRSN, Centre de Cadarache, 13115, St Paul Lez Durance, France
| | | | - S Gashchak
- Chornobyl Center for Nuclear Safety, Radioactive Waste & Radioecology, International Radioecology Laboratory, 77th Gvardiiska Dyviiya Str.11, P.O. Box 151, 07100, Slavutych, Kiev Region, Ukraine
| | - A N Jha
- School of Biological and Marine Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, United Kingdom
| | - A de Menezes
- Ryan Institute, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Ireland
| | - N Willey
- Centre for Research in Bioscience, Dept. of Applied Sciences, University of the West of England, Frenchay, BS16 1QY, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - D Spurgeon
- Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, OX10 8BB, United Kingdom
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Fuma S, Soeda H, Watanabe Y, Kubota Y, Aono T. Dose rate estimation of freshwater wildlife inhabiting irrigation ponds in the exclusion zone of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2019; 203:172-178. [PMID: 30921607 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2019.03.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2018] [Revised: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/13/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
To assess the risks of ionising radiation to freshwater environments in the exclusion zone of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, the absorbed dose rates to aquatic organisms possibly inhabiting the irrigation ponds were estimated using the ERICA Assessment Tool from 134Cs and 137Cs radioactivity monitoring data for the period 2013 to 2017. In each year, the total dose rates to benthic organisms were in the same or higher levels compared with those to pelagic organisms. Among pelagic organisms, the total dose rates to amphibians, birds, and pelagic fish were two orders of magnitude higher than those to plankton. The total dose rates to insect larvae, which attained a maximum of 130 μGy h-1, were higher than those to the other benthic organisms. The dose rates to benthic organisms increased from 2013 to 2015 and remained constant thereafter. In 50-93% of ponds, the dose rates to at least one taxon of freshwater organism, all of which were benthic organisms, exceeded the ERICA screening level (10 μGy h-1). Comparison of the estimated dose rates with the ICRP's derived consideration reference levels (DCRLs) suggests that radioactive contamination was not likely to damage amphibians, birds, pelagic fish, benthic fish, crustaceans, and insect larvae inhabiting most of the irrigation ponds in the exclusion zone. However, this comparison also suggests that there was some chance of deleterious effects occurring to birds and benthic fish in a limited number of the most severely contaminated irrigation ponds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shoichi Fuma
- Fukushima Project Headquarters, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan.
| | - Haruhi Soeda
- Fukushima Project Headquarters, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan
| | - Yoshito Watanabe
- Fukushima Project Headquarters, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan
| | - Yoshihisa Kubota
- Fukushima Project Headquarters, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan
| | - Tatsuo Aono
- Fukushima Project Headquarters, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan
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Fuma S, Soeda H, Ihara S, Matsui K, Kawaguchi I, Ishikawa T, Kubota Y, Watanabe Y, Aono T. Effects of chronic γ-irradiation on growth and sexual maturation of the Tohoku hynobiid salamander, Hynobius lichenatus. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RADIOACTIVITY 2019; 196:98-103. [PMID: 30423483 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2018.10.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2018] [Revised: 09/18/2018] [Accepted: 10/31/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
There are still considerable gaps in knowledge regarding the biological effects of chronic ionising radiation exposure in amphibians. To fill these gaps, Tohoku hynobiid salamanders, Hynobius lichenatus (Amphibia, Caudata), were chronically irradiated with 137Cs γ-rays from embryonic to adult stages over 1954 days, and the effects on their growth and sexual maturation were examined under laboratory conditions. Irradiation at a dose rate of 33 μGy h-1 had some stimulatory effects on growth (body weight increase) of H. lichenatus, while growth was temporarily or permanently suppressed at 150 or 510 μGy h-1, respectively. On day 1802, secondary sexual characteristics (a tubercle at the anterior angle of the cloacal vent for males and ovisac development for females) were observed in 91% of the salamanders irradiated at 33 μGy h-1, and in a similar percentage of non-irradiated controls. At 150 and 510 μGy h-1, secondary sexual characteristics were not observed in any individuals. These results suggest that the derived consideration reference level (DCRL) of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) for Reference Frog, i.e. 40-400 μGy h-1, is applicable for the protection of H. lichenatus, and that growth and sexual maturation of this salamander may not have been adversely affected even in the most severely contaminated area in Fukushima, where the highest dose rate to salamanders was estimated to be 50 μGy h-1. However, observations in the contaminated area are required to confirm this conclusion, considering the possible confounding factors which may make this salamander more sensitive to radiation in the natural environment than under laboratory conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shoichi Fuma
- Fukushima Project Headquarters, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan.
| | - Haruhi Soeda
- Fukushima Project Headquarters, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan
| | - Sadao Ihara
- Hokkaido University of Education Kushiro Campus, 1-15-55 Shiroyama, Kushiro, Hokkaido, 085-8580, Japan
| | - Kumi Matsui
- Laboratory of Veterinary Physiology 1, School of Veterinary Medicine, Azabu University, 1-17-71 Fuchinobe, Sagamihara, Kanagawa, 252-5201, Japan
| | - Isao Kawaguchi
- Center for Radiation Protection Knowledge, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan
| | - Takahiro Ishikawa
- Department of Accelerator and Medical Physics, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan
| | - Yoshihisa Kubota
- Fukushima Project Headquarters, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan
| | - Yoshito Watanabe
- Fukushima Project Headquarters, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan
| | - Tatsuo Aono
- Fukushima Project Headquarters, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba, 263-8555, Japan
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