1
|
Hecla J, Kambarian E, Tubbs R, McKinley C, Berliner AJ, Russell K, Spatola G, Chertok J, Braun W, Hank N, Marquette C, Betz J, Paik T, Chenery M, Cagan A, Willis C, Mousseau T. Radioactive contamination in feral dogs in the Chernobyl exclusion zone: Population body-burden survey and implications for human radiation exposure. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0283206. [PMID: 37471331 PMCID: PMC10358910 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0283206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023] Open
Abstract
This report describes a two-year effort to survey the internal 137Cs and external β-emitter contamination present in the feral dog population near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (ChNPP) site, and to understand the potential for human radiation exposure from this contamination. This work was performed as an integral part of the radiation safety and control procedures of an animal welfare oriented trap-neuter-release (TNR) program. The measurement program focused on external contamination surveys using handheld β-sensitive probes, and internal contamination studies using a simple whole-body counter. Internal 137Cs burden was measured non-invasively during post-surgical observation and recovery. External β contamination surveys performed during intake showed that 21/288 animals had significant, removable external contamination, though not enough to pose a large hazard for incidental contact. Measurements with the whole-body counter indicated internal 137Cs body burdens ranging from undetectable (minimum detection level ∼100 Bq/kg in 2017, ∼30 Bq/kg in 2018) to approximately 30,000 Bq/kg. A total of 33 animals had 137Cs body-burdens above 1 kBq/kg, though none posed an external exposure hazard. The large variation in the 137Cs concentration in these animals is not well-understood, could be due to prey selection, access to human food scraps, or extended residence in highly contaminated areas. The small minority of animals with external contamination may pose a contamination risk allowing exposures in excess of regulatory standards.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jake Hecla
- Department of Nuclear Engineering, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
- Clean Futures Fund, Godfrey, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Erik Kambarian
- Clean Futures Fund, Godfrey, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Robert Tubbs
- Tubbs Nuclear Consulting, Auburn, Washington, United States of America
| | - Carla McKinley
- Department of Nuclear Engineering, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Aaron J. Berliner
- Department of Nuclear Engineering, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
- Department of Bioengineering, University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California, United States of America
| | - Kayla Russell
- School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Gabrielle Spatola
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South California, United States of America
| | - Jordan Chertok
- College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Weston Braun
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, United States of America
| | - Natalia Hank
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, United States of America
| | - Courtney Marquette
- School of Veterinary Medicine, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Jennifer Betz
- Clean Futures Fund, Godfrey, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Terry Paik
- Clean Futures Fund, Godfrey, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Marie Chenery
- Clean Futures Fund, Godfrey, Illinois, United States of America
| | - Alex Cagan
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, United Kingdom
| | - Carl Willis
- Department of Nuclear Engineering, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America
| | - Tim Mousseau
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, South California, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|