The FASSET Framework for assessment of environmental impact of ionising radiation in European ecosystems—an overview

Abstract

The FASSET project was launched in November 2000 under the EC 5th Framework Programme to develop a framework for the assessment of environmental impact of ionising radiation in European ecosystems. It involved 15 organisations in seven European countries and delivered its final report in spring 2004. The project set out to organise radioecological and radiobiological data into a logical structure that would facilitate the assessment of likely effects on non-human biota resulting from known or postulated depositions of radionuclides in the environment. The project included an overview of 20 pathway-based environmental assessment systems targeted at radioactive substances, or at hazardous substances in general. The resulting framework includes the following fundamental elements: source characterisation; description of seven major European ecosystems; selection of a number of reference organisms on the basis of prior ecosystem and exposure analysis; environmental transfer analysis; dosimetric considerations; effects analysis; and general guidance on interpretation including consideration of uncertainties. The project has used existing information supplemented with development in some areas, e.g. Monte Carlo calculations to derive dose conversion coefficients, model development, and the building of an effects database (FRED, the FASSET Radiation Effects Database). On the basis of experience from FASSET and other recent programmes, it can be concluded that (i) there is substantial agreement in terms of conceptual approaches between different frameworks currently in use or proposed, (ii) differences in technical approaches can be largely attributed to differences in ecosystems of concern or in national regulatory requirements, (iii) sufficient knowledge is available to scientifically justify assessments following the Framework structure, but (iv) significant data gaps exist for environmental transfer of key nuclides as well as for effects data for key wildlife groups at environmentally relevant dose rates. This paper briefly describes the overall content of the FASSET Framework, as well as highlighting a few important future challenges.

The ERICA Tool

“…The ERICA assessment draws on the use of reference organisms as defined by Larsson (2004). As the starting point for the selection of appropriate reference organisms those selected for the FASSET Framework (see Strand et al, 2001) were considered.…”

“…In order to achieve this The ERICA Integrated Approach combines elements of environmental management, risk characterisation and impact assessment building on the foundations developed during the preceding projects FASSET (Larsson, 2004) and EPIC . Central to the ERICA integrated approach is the quantification of environmental risk whereby data on environmental transfer and dosimetry are combined to provide a measure of exposure which is compared to exposure levels at which detrimental effects are known to occur.…”

A case study in the Chernobyl zone Part I: Predicting radionuclide transfer to wildlife

“…Whilst the CR tables are incomplete (i.e. values are not provided for every reference organism -radionuclide combination) advice on addressing data gaps is presented [4,8]. The most appropriate terrestrial ecosystems considered in the FASSET framework for the Chernobyl exclusion zone are semi-natural pastures/heathlands and forests.…”

“…1,2,3,4]. Whilst some of these are now being used by national authorities [5], there has to date been little attempt to rigorously test their predictions against available data.…”

“…In this paper we apply the methodology presented by Brown et al [6], which forms part of the FASSET environmental impact assessment framework [4], to estimate the whole-body radionuclide concentrations of wild animals within the Chernobyl exclusion zone and compare these to available data. A separate paper takes this work further to estimate doses and the likely subsequent effects [7].…”