Radiocaesium contamination and dose rate estimation of terrestrial and freshwater wildlife in the exclusion zone of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

Fuma, Shoichi; Ihara, Sadao; Takahashi, Hiroyuki; Inaba, Osamu; Sato, Youji; Kubota, Yoshihisa; Watanabe, Yoshito; Kawaguchi, Isao; Aono, Tatsuo; Soeda, Haruhi; Yoshida, Satoshi

doi:10.1016/j.jenvrad.2017.02.013

Cited by 26 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Chernobyl ( Dighton et al, 2008 ) and the Nevada Test Site ( Durrell and Shields, 1960 ) affected by atmospheric and subterranean nuclear detonations are two reference sites where fungal studies have been carried out. Recently, Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant was added to the list and it was shown that fungi accumulated high amounts of radiocesium ( Fuma et al, 2017 ). In the literature there are a few papers on the microbial diversity in high 222 Rn ecosystems ( Anitori et al, 2002 ; Brugger et al, 2005 ; Weidler et al, 2007 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity of Microfungi in a High Radon Cave Ecosystem

et al. 2022

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Castañar Cave is a clear example of an oligotrophic ecosystem with high hygrothermal stability both seasonal and interannual and the particularity of registering extraordinary levels of environmental radiation. These environmental conditions make the cave an ideal laboratory to evaluate both the responses of the subterranean environment to sudden changes in the matter and energy fluxes with the exterior and also any impact derived from its use as a tourist resource under a very restrictive access regime. In 2008, a fungal outbreak provoked by a vomit contaminated the sediments which were removed and subsequently treated with hydrogen peroxide. Fungal surveys were carried out in 2008 and 2009. The visits were resumed in 2014. Here, 12 years after the outbreak, we present an exhaustive study on the cave sediments in order to know the distribution of the different fungal taxa, as well as the prevalence and spatio-temporal evolution of the fungi caused by the vomit over the years under the conditions of relative isolation and high radiation that characterize this cave.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity of Microfungi in a High Radon Cave Ecosystem

et al. 2022

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“…Another important presumption of using the dosimetric approach to determine biological impacts is that researchers completely understand the system in question (at least at first), enabling a precise level of prediction of the biological impacts that often reference the recommendations and mathematical simulations of the International Commission of Radiological Protection (ICRP) (e.g., [6][7][8]). That is, it is presumed that reference levels of the effects of radiation exposure on certain organisms such as humans are completely known and these references are credible and applicable to the case of the Fukushima nuclear accident.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding Low-Dose Exposure and Field Effects to Resolve the Field-Laboratory Paradox: Multifaceted Biological Effects from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident

Otaki¹

2018

New Trends in Nuclear Science

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Many reports about the biological effects of the Fukushima nuclear accident on various wild organisms have accumulated in recent years. Results from field-based laboratory experiments using the pale grass blue butterfly have clearly demonstrated that this butterfly is highly sensitive to "low-dose" internal exposure from field-contaminated host-plant leaves. These experimental results are fully consistent with the filed-collection results reporting high abnormality rates. In contrast, this butterfly is highly resistant against the internal exposure to chemically pure radioactive cesium chloride under laboratory conditions. To resolve this field-laboratory paradox, I propose that the field effects, which are a collection of indirect effects that work through different modes of action than do the conventional direct effects, play an important role in the "low-dose" exposure results in the field. In other words, exclusively focusing on the effects of direct radiation, as predicted by dosimetric analysis, may be too simplistic. In this chapter, I provide a working definition and discuss the possible variation in the field effects. I include an example on the misunderstanding of the field effects In the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) 2017 Report. Lastly, I discuss a theoretical application of the butterfly model to humans.

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“…Japanese macaques are omnivorous 16 . The variance of internal dose-rate in insects and small animals has been reported to be greater than the external dose-rate variance 28 . These data suggest that the variance of radiocaesium concentration in Japanese macaques is reflected by that of their prey.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Haematological analysis of Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) in the area affected by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

Urushihara

Suzuki

Shimizu

et al. 2018

Sci Rep

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Several populations of wild Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) inhabit the area around Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP). To measure and control the size of these populations, macaques are captured annually. Between May 2013 and December 2014, we performed a haematological analysis of Japanese macaques captured within a 40-km radius of FNPP, the location of a nuclear disaster two years post-accident. The dose-rate of radiocaesium was estimated using the ERICA Tool. The median internal dose-rate was 7.6 μGy/day (ranging from 1.8 to 219 μGy/day) and the external dose-rate was 13.9 μGy/day (ranging from 6.7 to 35.1 μGy/day). We performed multiple regression analyses to estimate the dose-rate effects on haematological values in peripheral blood and bone marrow. The white blood cell and platelet counts showed an inverse correlation with the internal dose-rate in mature macaques. Furthermore, the myeloid cell, megakaryocyte, and haematopoietic cell counts were inversely correlated and the occupancy of adipose tissue was positively correlated with internal dose-rate in femoral bone marrow of mature macaques. These relationships suggest that persistent whole body exposure to low-dose-rate radiation affects haematopoiesis in Japanese macaques.

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Radiocaesium contamination and dose rate estimation of terrestrial and freshwater wildlife in the exclusion zone of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

Cited by 26 publications

References 24 publications

Diversity of Microfungi in a High Radon Cave Ecosystem

Diversity of Microfungi in a High Radon Cave Ecosystem

Understanding Low-Dose Exposure and Field Effects to Resolve the Field-Laboratory Paradox: Multifaceted Biological Effects from the Fukushima Nuclear Accident

Haematological analysis of Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) in the area affected by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

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