ICRP Publication 136: Dose Coefficients for Non-human Biota Environmentally Exposed to Radiation

Abstract

The diversity of non-human biota is a specific challenge when developing and applying dosimetric models for assessing exposures of flora and fauna from radioactive sources in the environment. Dosimetric models, adopted in Publication 108, provide dose coefficients (DCs) for a group of reference entities [Reference Animals and Plants (RAPs)]. The DCs can be used to evaluate doses and dose rates, and to compare the latter with derived consideration reference levels (DCRLs), which are bands of dose rate where some sort of detrimental effect in a particular RAP may be expected to occur following chronic, long-term radiation exposure, as outlined in Publication 124. These dosimetric models pragmatically assume simple body shapes with uniform composition and density, homogeneous internal contamination, limited sets of idealised sources of external exposure to ionising radiation for aquatic and terrestrial animals and plants, and truncated radioactive decay chains. This pragmatic methodology is further developed and systematically extended in this publication, which supersedes the DC values of Publication 108. Significant methodological changes since Publication 108 include: implementation of a new approach for external exposure of terrestrial animals with an extended set of environmental radioactive sources in soil and in air; considering an extended range of organisms and locations in contaminated terrain; transition to the contemporary radionuclide database of Publication 107; assessment-specific consideration of the contribution of radioactive progeny to DCs of parent radionuclides; and use of generalised allometric relationships in the estimation of biokinetic or metabolic parameter values. These methodological developments result in changes to previously published tables of DCs for RAPs, and revised values are provided in this publication. This publication is complemented by a new software tool, called ‘BiotaDC’, which enables the calculation of DCs for internal and external exposures of organisms with user-defined masses, shapes, and locations in the environment and for all radionuclides in Publication 107.

First transcriptome profiling of D. melanogaster after development in a deep underground low radiation background laboratory

“…According to the protocols of total natural background estimation [ 11 , 21 – 23 , 39 ] we obtained resulting natural background radiation in the chambers of DULB-4900 at the level of ~16.4 nGy h -1 and the total background radiation in the ground laboratory in the institute building of BNO (INR, RAS) at the level of ~190 nGy h -1 ( Table 1 ). Due to the high-altitude location of BNO (INR, RAS) 1670 meters above sea level an elevated impact of the cosmic component to the total radiation background was observed [ 1 , 40 ].…”

Dose Estimation Model for Terminal Buds in Radioactively Contaminated Fir Trees

“…The dosimetry models were compared with the ICRP models to calculate the internal exposure. The DC was calculated following ICRP Publication 136 [2] for internal exposure of the bud using an online DC calculator (http://biotadc.icrp. org).…”

“…The specific model of the bud was determined to have the same shape (mass of 0.00236 g; body proportions of 1× 0.75 × 0.75) as the bud in our tree structural model. In addition, different plant models of the reference pine tree and grass were cited for comparison with ICRP Publication 136 [2].…”

“…To consider the radiological impacts on non-human biota, estimation of the absorbed dose is an important issue. The International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) proposed dose estimation methods for non-human biota in the context of radiological protection [1,2]. These methods have been applied in the assessment of radiological consequences after large nuclear disasters such as the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant JRPR (FDNPP) accident [3,4].…”

Radiation Dose Assessment Model for Terrestrial Flora and Fauna and Its Application to the Environment near Fukushima Accident

“…Table 2 summarizes the dose conversion coefficient (DCC) for the model animals and trees. The DCC values were obtained by applying the ICRP Publication 108 [12] method using a web-based ICRP dose conversion factor calculator [13]. The mass for the animals was the mean value of each animal captured.…”