A method for assessing exposure of terrestrial wildlife to environmental radon (222Rn) and thoron (220Rn)

Jordi Vives i Batlle; Alexander Ulanovsky; David Copplestone

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.06.154

A method for assessing exposure of terrestrial wildlife to environmental radon (222Rn) and thoron (220Rn)

Jordi Vives i Batlle, Alexander Ulanovsky, David Copplestone

Research output › peer-review

Abstract

A method is presented to calculate radiation dose rates arising from radon, thoron and their progeny to nonhuman biota in the terrestrial environment. The method improves on existing methodologies for the assessment of radon to biota by using a generalised allometric approach to model respiration, calculating dose coefficients for the ICRP reference animals and plants, and extending the approach to cover thoron in addition to radon-derived isotopes. The method is applicable to a range of environmental situations involving these radionuclides in wildlife, with an envisaged application being to study the impact of human activities, which bring NORM radionuclides to the biosphere. Consequently, there is a need to determine whether there is an impact on non-human biota from exposure to anthropogenically enhanced radionuclides.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	569-577
Number of pages	8
Journal	Science of the Total Environment
Volume	605-606
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.06.154
State	Published - 19 Jun 2017

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10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.06.154

Cite this

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title = "A method for assessing exposure of terrestrial wildlife to environmental radon (222Rn) and thoron (220Rn)",

abstract = "A method is presented to calculate radiation dose rates arising from radon, thoron and their progeny to nonhuman biota in the terrestrial environment. The method improves on existing methodologies for the assessment of radon to biota by using a generalised allometric approach to model respiration, calculating dose coefficients for the ICRP reference animals and plants, and extending the approach to cover thoron in addition to radon-derived isotopes. The method is applicable to a range of environmental situations involving these radionuclides in wildlife, with an envisaged application being to study the impact of human activities, which bring NORM radionuclides to the biosphere. Consequently, there is a need to determine whether there is an impact on non-human biota from exposure to anthropogenically enhanced radionuclides.",

keywords = "Radon, Thoron, Non-human biota, Dose coefficients, International Commission on Radiobiological, ICRP, protection",

author = "{Vives i Batlle}, Jordi and Alexander Ulanovsky and David Copplestone",

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AU - Vives i Batlle, Jordi

AU - Ulanovsky, Alexander

AU - Copplestone, David

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N2 - A method is presented to calculate radiation dose rates arising from radon, thoron and their progeny to nonhuman biota in the terrestrial environment. The method improves on existing methodologies for the assessment of radon to biota by using a generalised allometric approach to model respiration, calculating dose coefficients for the ICRP reference animals and plants, and extending the approach to cover thoron in addition to radon-derived isotopes. The method is applicable to a range of environmental situations involving these radionuclides in wildlife, with an envisaged application being to study the impact of human activities, which bring NORM radionuclides to the biosphere. Consequently, there is a need to determine whether there is an impact on non-human biota from exposure to anthropogenically enhanced radionuclides.

AB - A method is presented to calculate radiation dose rates arising from radon, thoron and their progeny to nonhuman biota in the terrestrial environment. The method improves on existing methodologies for the assessment of radon to biota by using a generalised allometric approach to model respiration, calculating dose coefficients for the ICRP reference animals and plants, and extending the approach to cover thoron in addition to radon-derived isotopes. The method is applicable to a range of environmental situations involving these radionuclides in wildlife, with an envisaged application being to study the impact of human activities, which bring NORM radionuclides to the biosphere. Consequently, there is a need to determine whether there is an impact on non-human biota from exposure to anthropogenically enhanced radionuclides.

KW - Radon

KW - Thoron

KW - Non-human biota

KW - Dose coefficients

KW - International Commission on Radiobiological

KW - ICRP

KW - protection

UR - http://ecm.sckcen.be/OTCS/llisapi.dll/open/25558552

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JO - Science of the Total Environment

JF - Science of the Total Environment

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