Ensuring robust radiological risk assessment for wildlife: insights from the International Atomic Energy Agency EMRAS and MODARIA programmes

Abstract

In response to changing international recommendations and national requirements, a number of assessment approaches, and associated tools and models, have been developed over the last circa 20 years to assess radiological risk to wildlife. In this paper, we summarise international intercomparison exercises and scenario applications of available radiological assessment models for wildlife to aid future model users and those such as regulators who interpret assessments. Through our studies, we have assessed the fitness for purpose of various models and tools, identified the major sources of uncertainty and made recommendations on how the models and tools can best be applied to suit the purposes of an assessment. We conclude that the commonly used tiered or graded assessment tools are generally fit for purpose for conducting screening-level assessments of radiological impacts to wildlife. Radiological protection of the environment (or wildlife) is still a relatively new development within the overall system of radiation protection and environmental assessment approaches are continuing to develop. Given that some new/developing approaches differ considerably from the more established models/tools and there is an increasing international interest in developing approaches that support the effective regulation of multiple stressors (including radiation), we recommend the continuation of coordinated international programmes for model development, intercomparison and scenario testing.

Factors Influencing Effects of Low-dose Radiation Exposure

“…Dose limits are set to protect humans from cancer and in the natural world to limit consequences of discharges or nuclear activities for 12 reference animals and plants. These are chosen to be representative of species living in different habitats where the exposure can be calculated and the dosimetry can be modeled or where there is sufficient information in various databases to enable decision making using, for example, the ERICA or RadResBiota tools (Doering 2010; Beresford and Copplestone 2022; Beresford et al 2022; Maystrenko and Rybak 2022). However, NTE complicate this approach because they dissociate dose or exposure from effect both in space (RIBE) and in time (RIGI).…”