Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2015. Vol. 60. No. 5. P. 25-30

RADIATION SAFETY

R.M. Alexakhin

Radioecological Aspects of the Nuclear Accident at the “Fukushima-1” NPP

Russian Institute of Radiology and Agroecology, Obninsk, Russia, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

ABSTRACT

The estimation of the effects on biota of ionizing radiation caused by environmental radionuclides is one of the key radioecological problems in the area of the “Fukushima-1” NPP accident on 11 March 2011. In the “Fukushima-1” NPP accident area two groups of assessments of potential effects of radioactive contamination on different species of terrestrial biota in the first two years following radioactive fallout have been performed: 1) direct experimental study of possible radiation effects in natural conditions, 2) determination of ionizing radiation effects based on the use of models of radionuclide transport in the environment and their accumulation in plants and animals, as well as, the application of the absorbed dose rates estimations with their subsequent comparison to the threshold values for these parameters. The conclusion has been reached that no ecological shifts at the level of terrestrial ecosystem alterations and disturbances of interrelationships between populations have been statistically significantly and unambiguously revealed even at the highest densities of contamination. Some species of terrestrial biota showed only insignificant variations (mainly of a cytogenetic nature) eliminable at later stages of the post accidental period.

Key words: radiation accidents, nuclear power plant, Fukushima-1, terrestrial environment, radioactive contamination, biota, irradiation, modeling

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For citation: Alexakhin RM. Radioecological Aspects of the Nuclear Accident at the “Fukushima-1” NPP. Medical Radiology and Radiation Safety. 2015;60(5):25-30. Russian.

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