Method for Simultaneous 90sr and 137cs in-Vivo Measurements of Small Animals and Other Environmental Media Developed for the Conditions of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

Bondarkov, Mikhail D.; Maksimenko, Andrei; Gaschak, Sergey P.; Zheltonozhsky, Viktor A.; Jannik, G. Timothy; Farfán, Eduardo B.

doi:10.1097/hp.0b013e318224bb2b

Cited by 19 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…The 90 Sr content for most of the samples (including live animals) was measured without radiochemical pretreatment using a ß-spectrometer with a thin-film scintillation plastic detector developed by the Institute of Nuclear Research of the National Academy of Ukraine, Kiev (Bondarkov et al 2011 Cs content in field conditions, a specially designed gamma-and beta-spectrometric system was used (Bondarkov et al 2011 Since various authors presented data on radioactive contamination of animals as either concentrations of radionuclides in raw tissues (or the entire body) or in air dried tissues, these initial data were modified to be able to integrate the information. That is, the data for individual tissues was scaled up to account for entire body contamination and for the dried samples, the tissue shrinkage loss factors were considered.…”

Section: B Materials and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Radiation Ecology Issues Associated With Murine Rodents and Shrews in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

Gaschak¹,

Maklyuk²,

Maksimenko³

et al. 2011

Health Physics

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This article describes major studies performed by the Chernobyl Center's International Radioecology Laboratory (Slavutich, Ukraine) on radioecology of murine rodents and shrews inhabiting the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. The article addresses the long-term (1986 -2005) and seasonal dynamics of radioactive contamination of animals, and reviews interspecies differences in radionuclide accumulations and factors affecting the radionuclide accumulations. It is shown that bioavailability of radionuclides in the "soil-to-plant" chain and a trophic specialization of animals play key roles in determining their actual contamination levels. The total absorbed dose rates in small mammals significantly reduced during the years following the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident. In 1986, the absorbed dose rate reached 1.3 -6.0 Gy hr Plant (ChNPP) accident in April 1986 presents a complex task that requires long-term observations; thereby, making the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (ChEZ) a one-of-a-kind research site where various groups of species can be studied. Among all other species, small mammals, such as murine rodents and shrews, appear to be the most common objects of studies. They have been studied since the very first months after the ChNPP accident as a reference group; however, the primary focus of those studies was associated with biological effects. Meanwhile, the assessments of these effects only make sense relative to received doses, but, for a long time, the doses received by wild animals have not been addressed. Detailed studies on accumulation, distribution and excretion of radionuclides have been conducted for a long time, but primarily regarding agricultural and laboratory animals (Buldakov and Moskalev 1968; Aleksakhin 1982;Korneev and Sirotkin 1987;Moskalev 1989; Vandecasteele et al. 1989), and, therefore, they are not fully applicable for extrapolation to wild species. There has been very little applicable information available on wild animals inhabiting the ChEZ (Kozlo et al. 1998;Chesser et al. 2000Chesser et al. , 2001Gaychenko et al. 2001;Oleksyk et al. 2002; Ryabokon et al. 2005; Taskaev et al. 1990). In view of this, in 1998 -2010, the International Radioecology Laboratory (IRL) performed a wide range of studies on accumulation and metabolism of radionuclides, as well as on dose rates, in wild murine rodents and shrews under the actual conditions of the ChEZ. These studies were either independent studies or were conducted as part of joint international projects associated with studies of radiation impact on the genetic system of wild rodents and their laboratory analogous species (Matson et al. 2000;Baker et al. 2001; Radiation Ecology Issues Associated with Murine Rodents and Shrews in the ChEZ 3 Rodgers et al. 2001;Oleksyk et al. 2002Oleksyk et al. , 2004 Wiggins et al. 2002; Wickliffe et al. 2002). Cs distributions and assessments of parameters affecting their excretion from bodies of wild rodents can be found in earlier publications (Baryakhtar et al. 2003;Maklyuk et al. 2006. This art...

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Section: B Materials and Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Radiation Ecology Issues Associated With Murine Rodents and Shrews in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

Gaschak¹,

Maklyuk²,

Maksimenko³

et al. 2011

Health Physics

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“…The wholebody 137 Cs and 90 Sr concentrations were determined using the method described by Bondarkov et al (2011). Prior to counting, the carcasses were placed in a small, disposable, cardboard box (70 Â 40 Â 40 mm), the upper side of which was made from <0.1 mm thick polyethylene.…”

Section: Analysesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The transfer of 137 Cs, Pu isotopes and 90 Sr to bird, bat and ground-dwelling small mammal species within the Chernobyl exclusion zone

Beresford

Gaschak

Maksimenko

2016

Journal of Environmental Radioactivity

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Protected species are the focus of many radiological environmental assessments. However, the lack of radioecological data for many protected species presents a significant international challenge. Furthermore, there are legislative restrictions on destructive sampling of protected species to obtain such data. Where data are not available, extrapolations are often made from 'similar' species but there has been little attempt to validate this approach. In this paper we present what, to our knowledge, is the first study purposefully designed to test the hypothesis that radioecological data for unprotected species can be used to estimate conservative radioecolgical parameters for protected species; conservatism being necessary to ensure that there is no significant impact. The study was conducted in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. Consequently, we are able to present data for Pu isotopes in terrestrial wildlife. There has been limited research on Pu transfer to terrestrial wildlife which contrasts with the need to assess radiation exposure of wildlife to Pu isotopes around many nuclear facilities internationally. Our results provide overall support for the hypothesis that data for unprotected species can be used to adequately assess the impacts for ionising radiation on protected species. This is demonstrated for a range of mammalian and avian species. However, we identify one case, the shrew, for which data from other ground-dwelling small mammals would not lead to an appropriately conservative assessment of radiation impact. This indicates the need to further test our hypothesis across a range of species and ecosystems, and/or ensure adequate conservatism within assessments. The data presented are of value to those trying to more accurately estimate the radiation dose to wildlife in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, helping to reduce the considerable uncertainty in studies reporting dose-effect relationships for wildlife. A video abstract for this paper is available from: http://bit.ly/1JesKPc.

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“…This technique drastically improved the effectiveness of the measurements, and its application provided a significant fraction of the results in the joint IRL projects since 2001 and mentioned in this issue. A more detailed description of the method of live 90 Sr and 137 Cs counts in biological subjects is provided in another article in this issue (Bondarkov et al 2011).…”

Section: Development Of New Methods and Technologies For Radioecologimentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For the most part, these were unique studies that provided a large amount of new data on radiation ecology of animals inhabiting the ChEZ. It should be noted that a significant part of the research was conducted using a specially developed gamma-beta-spectrometric system for live counts of the total 90 Sr and 137 Cs content in bodies of animals, including measurements in situ at ChEZ sites (the description of this system is provided in a separate article in this issue: Bondarkov et al 2011).…”

Section: Radioecology Of Animals In the Chernobyl Exclusion Zonementioning

confidence: 99%

Overview of the Cooperation Between the Chernobyl Center's International Radioecology Laboratory in Slavutych, Ukraine, and U.S. Research Centers Between 2000 and 2010

Bondarkov¹,

Gaschak²,

Oskolkov³

et al. 2011

Health Physics

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The International Radioecology Laboratory (IRL) located in Slavutych, Ukraine, was created in 1999 under the initiative of the United States Government and the Government of Ukraine in the framework of international cooperation on evaluation and minimization of consequences of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (ChNPP) accident. Since the time the IRL was founded, it has participated in a large number of projects, including the following: 1) study of radionuclide accumulation, distribution, and migration in components of various ecological systems of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (ChEZ); 2) radiation dose assessments; 3) study of the effects of radiation influence on biological systems; 4) expert analysis of isotopic and quantitative composition of radioactive contaminants; 5) development of new methods and technologies intended for radioecological research; 6) evaluation of future developments and pathways for potential remediation of the ChEZ areas; 7) assistance in provision of physical protection systems for ionizing irradiation sources at Ukrainian enterprises; 8) reviews of open Russian language publications on issues associated with consequences of the ChNPP accident, radioactive waste management, radioecological monitoring, and ChNPP decommissioning; 9) conduct of training courses on problems of radioecology, radiation safety, radioecological characterization of test sites and environmental media, and research methods; 10) conduct of on-site scientific conferences and workshops on the ChEZ and radioecology problems; participation in off-site scientific conferences and meetings; and 11) preparation of scientific and popular science publications and interactions with mass media representatives. This article provides a brief overview of the major achievements resulting from this cooperation between the IRL and U.S. research centers.

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Method for Simultaneous 90sr and 137cs in-Vivo Measurements of Small Animals and Other Environmental Media Developed for the Conditions of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

Cited by 19 publications

References 11 publications

Radiation Ecology Issues Associated With Murine Rodents and Shrews in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

Radiation Ecology Issues Associated With Murine Rodents and Shrews in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

The transfer of 137 Cs, Pu isotopes and 90 Sr to bird, bat and ground-dwelling small mammal species within the Chernobyl exclusion zone

Overview of the Cooperation Between the Chernobyl Center's International Radioecology Laboratory in Slavutych, Ukraine, and U.S. Research Centers Between 2000 and 2010

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